With the launch of its inaugural Globōl restaurant at Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens, Canada’s biggest supermarket chain is diving into the burgeoning "grocerant" segment.
In its latest bid to stay on the cutting edge of Canadian supermarket innovation, Loblaws has teamed up with Globōl, a brand new quick service restaurant founded by hospitality industry vets Pierre Jutras and Nipun Sharma. While the supermarket supplies the infrastructure, support and foot traffic, Globōl will be serving up iconic international dishes to hungry shoppers, both physical and virtual.
As far as food concepts go, the notion of a restaurant within a grocery store is hardly new. According to restobiz.ca, the term “grocerant” has been bandied about freely since 2017. Yet as food service analyst and self-described “supermarket guru” Phil Lembert confessed to Eater, the hybrid concept of dining in the same place you shop for your food has been around for decades.
Historical precedents aside, Globōl’s plans seem as fresh as its menu of made-to-order bowls, or bōls (all priced at $12). While all six of Globōl’s initial offerings channel popular street food favourites from around the world, the recipes for each signature bowl are created by well-known Toronto chefs, including Sharma himself.
The former owner of Rose City Kitchen and Smash Juice Bar based the Indian butter chicken bōl on his mother’s preparation of the dish, which relies upon a 24-hour marinating session to ensure maximum flavour and succulence. Rounding out the other tempting options are chicken shawarma, beef fajitas, jerk chicken, General Tao chicken and pad Thai.
While Globōl is still in the pilot stage, there are plans to expand the grocerant concept to Loblaws throughout Canada. For the time being, however, once pandemic restrictions are lifted, in-person bōls can only be savoured amid the orange-floored aisles of the Maple Leaf Gardens location, at 60 Carlton Street (take-out orders can be made via a socially-distanced touch screen kiosk). Pick-up and delivery are also available via Globol’s website and third-party delivery apps.
