Gourmet Gardens; Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view, circa 1987. (photo courtesy Pat Richardson)Gourmet Gardens at Eastland Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina was one of the first mall food courts in the Carolinas when it opened in 1975. It featured a then-revolutionary mix of ethnic cuisine, light snacks and fast food favorites.
Food courts revolutionized the mall dining experience, adding a variety of quick service establishments that crossed a broader spectrum of foodways than the then-standard snack bars, coffee shops and cafeterias most malls featured. Mall shoppers became food court diners and in less than ten years after Gourmet Gardens and other concepts like it appeared, the old-school restaurants were largely a relic of the past.
Even as Eastland approaches its twilight years, the food court is still intact, albeit altered from these great pictures from circa 1987, courtesy of frequent LiveMalls contributor Patrick Richardson. Many thanks to Pat for this blast from the past.
Gourmet Gardens; Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view, circa 1987. (photo courtesy Pat Richardson)
Gourmet Gardens; Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view, circa 1987. (photo courtesy Pat Richardson)
Gourmet Gardens; Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view, circa 1987. (photo courtesy Pat Richardson)
Gourmet Gardens; Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view, circa 1987. (photo courtesy Pat Richardson)Previously on LiveMalls
Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina
Eastland Mall 1980
Does anyone remember the original seats and tables? The bases were made to look like large stones and boulders.
ReplyDeleteIn the center of the food court was an Orange Julius which always had a crowd. All of the tenants pictured are long gone, but the food court is still almost 100% occupied (mostly non-chain start-ups). I always thought it was neat when they had an Arby's throughout the '80's.
Also-- it's bizarre in the photos the number of hanging lights you see. There's more lights than tables!
ReplyDeleteHa! Now that you mention it, there are just a few lights there!
ReplyDeleteAre those stairs to a "basement" of some sort in picture #3? What are/were they for?
Also, please forgive me, but I can't for the life of me place the Gourmet Garden inside the mall...where is it? Looking at the current directory, the closest thing I can find is on the lower level just to the left of Sears.
Thanks as always for your contributions, Pat!!!
Thank you, I have the sudden urge to eat lunch now! That food court looked pretty nice and it seems to have had some places I've never heard of. Great post.
ReplyDeleteMatt-- the food court is just outside the Sears on the lower level. The stairs were located behind Orange Julius and led down to the ice skating rink. The rink itself was closed earlier this Spring.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I forgot to mention that the food court chairs at that mall look just like the ones at Four Seasons Town Centre here in Greensboro. Only a mall lover would notice that.
ReplyDeleteThat one woman in the second photo looks like she is thinking "Velma, there is a perv taking our picture!" :)
ReplyDeleteScott
Pat: I never saw the original but I agree, there are way too many lights in there!
ReplyDeleteMatt: I think Pat answered all your questions above. Thanks Pat. :-)
Billy: Hope you got something good to eat after this post :-). Those food court chairs were everywhere in the '80s.
BIGMallrat: I wouldn't doubt that lady thought that! She looks very wary of the photographer.
What a great set of 80s nostalgia! It's too bad that food courts have become so engraved inside malls nowadays and most of the ethnic fare isn't that revolutionary anymore. I just don't find overpriced mediocre Chinese food exciting and the pizza and ice cream stands don't fare any better. Also, why is there always a Subway inside a food court? Give me Arby's anyday or any full service restaurant anyday.
ReplyDeleteThanks. You're right. It's become so standardized these days that you kind of expect a food court to have a handful of typical ethnic cuisines, ice cream and a Subway (I can't explain why mall Chinese food is frustratingly mediocre or why Subway remains so popular either.) It's so bad at times that Arby's (or even McDonald's) seems like manna from heaven by comparison.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there used to be at least some better chains out there. Whatever happened to Bain's Deli? Or Chao Praya? Or Flamers?
(I can't explain why mall Chinese food is frustratingly mediocre or why Subway remains so popular either.)
ReplyDeleteI can't either, it is one of life's most greatest mysteries. You hardly ever see things like a Karmel Korn (Which I loved) or an Orange Julius anymore either. I was at Yorktown mall a while ago with my husband and his family. His parents, sister and brother-n-law decided on the mediocre Chinese. His sister urged us to get it but we made up our minds and carted off to the Arby's across the foodcourt. A little while later as we were all eating, his sister points at our meal and says "I should have had that!" The Chinese food was that bad.
Sometimes the independent Chinese is a little better, but Panda Express is the pits. It's all sugary and greasy to appeal to what they think Americans want, but it's always commercial tasting and cold no matter when you get it.
ReplyDeleteThe most satisfying meal you can get is chicken wings, because they're nearly impossible to pre-cook. When faced with Chinese in a mall always have the wings, because they're forced to be fresh by design.
The only Karmelkorn I've ever seen was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't go in. That place is like a virtual carnival. You could never hit every interesting place in one trip.
I've never had an Orange Julius either, though I occasionally see a store from them (usually grouped with Dairy Queen).
I think all three chains are owned by DQ, which could explain their sporadic locations.
Believe it or not, my husband's parents say they don't think Panda Express is that bad. Ha! Friends have told me for years how horrible it is and I usually avoid it like the plague.
ReplyDeleteFord City in Chicago used to have a co-branded KarmelKorn and Orange Julius. Never tried the OJ, although I always wanted to but the KarmelKorn was always great. I was so bummed last time I was there because they got rid of it for Perfumemania or something. Boring! I also love DQ if you can find one. Another obselete ice cream chain, Tastee Freeze is another one of my favorites but once again you have to hunt down for it.
Your husband's parents aren't wrong, but they may be a little underexposed food-wise. Panda Express is very average fast food, which makes it good if you don't know what an authentic or homemade Chines dish tastes like. I used to enjoy mall Chinese without qualification until I tasted some better stuff at the mom and pops.
ReplyDeleteSame thing with hamburgers or anything like that. If you ever have a really good one, it'll spoil you for the others.
For some reason Augusta County, Va. has an unusually high concentration of the remaining Tastee-Freez stores, which means I'll have to try them I'm near there. DQ is very common where I am as well.