The history of Richtree Market Restaurants in Toronto

For those of us who grew up in Toronto during the 1990s and 2000s, the name Richtree Market likely brings back nostalgic memories of fresh-baked bread, chalkboard menus scrawled in white marker, green-and-white striped awnings, and, who could forget that dreamy, crispy potato rosti with sour cream. 

Your parents or guardians likely handed you the restaurant's one-stop payment card that felt like a golden ticket and granted you access to the whole European-style market, allowing you to pile up whatever your childhood heart desired on your plate, whether it was pasta, burgers, or pizza. 

At its peak in 2014, Richtree operated 11 locations across Canada, with its outposts feeling more like a bustling marketplace with a European flair rather than a traditional food court.

However, in March 2020, the chain's final location at the Eaton Centre closed permanently, leaving behind only the memories for those of us who once eagerly lined up at its counters stacked high with just about every type of food imaginable. 

The history of Richtree Market restaurants cannot be told without tracing its origins to Mövenpick, a Swiss-based hospitality company. With the brand already well-established elsewhere around the world, Mövenpick opened its first Canadian location, a traditional sit-down restaurant, back in 1980 on York Street near Adelaide Street West, which is now home to The Keg. 

Two years later, Swiss executive Hans Jorg Reichert was transferred to Toronto to manage the chain's Canadian operations. Soon after, Mövenpick debuted a new concept in Stuttgart, called Marché (a name you also might be familiar with), which was a European-style open market where you could move from station to station and have your food cooked fresh right in front of you. 

Reichert brought this revolutionary model to Canada, and opened the first Mövenpick Marché at Brookfield Place in 1992. A few years later, Reichert founded Richtree Market Restaurants Inc., and acquired the rights to operate and expand the concept under a new franchise model. 

Photo: Taku. 

Over time, going to Richtree became just as much about the experience as the delicious food. Upon entering, you were given a card and were free to roam around the market's various international stations, where chefs would prepare your food in real time, and then swipe your card to track your selections. At the end, you'd hand your card to a cashier and settle the bill, just as if you were shopping at a market. 

The Richtree Natural Market at the Eaton Centre, located at the south end of the mall, was especially memorable for its vintage blue Volkswagen taco and burrito truck, which was appropriately adorned with the licence plate, "RICHTREE." The location was also home to an organic grocery market, a licensed bar, a cafe, and a sushi stand. 

Despite its nostalgic charm and legacy, the brand's growth was not without its internal complications. Throughout the 2000s, the company weathered lots of conflict, including a bitter struggle between the Reicherts and the board of directors. 

In 2003, Reichert and his wife, Marianne, agreed to resign from the company in exchange for a $3.3-million severeance. That same year, Richtree settled a series of legal disputes with Mövenpick-Holding AG over licensing agreements, making it clear that the relationship between the companies had quickly gone sour. 

Photo: aada2000.

Ironically, the flagship Brookfield Place location (originally Mövenpick, then Richtree) closed in 2010, only to reopen again under the Mövenpick Marché banner. And while Richtree continued to expand to locations in Mississauga at Square One, Vaughan, and throughout Toronto in College Park, as well as Bayview and York Mills, the dining model struggled to compete with the influx of fast-casual chains. 

Its struggles didn't end there. In 2014, Richtree faced public backlash after a ruling from the Ontario Labour Relations Board found that it had violated labour laws during a location change at the Eaton Centre, ruling that the company remained bound by its union agreement despite relocating and hiring new staff. 

In March 2020, the final Richtree Market, located at the Eaton Centre, closed its doors. Just a month later, Mövenpick also announced that it would withdraw from the Canadian market, citing economic pressures resulting from the pandemic, which also led to the closure of its Brookfield Place restaurant. 

Although these closures marked the end of the company's run in Canada, Marché is still present in eight countries in Europe and Asia with over 70 locations.