The Orient, Trafford Centre (Manchester, UK) : The World's Best Food Court?

Рет қаралды 8,176

Dead Mall Walking – Dying Retail & Malls

3 жыл бұрын

When most people think of a shopping mall food court, they probably think of a few chain restaurants side by side in a poorly lit tiled space. Maybe of being aggressively handed an orange chicken sample...
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This amazing 90s mall food court, on the other hand, is something quite different. I don't claim to have seen every shopping centre out there - not even close! - but, in my opinion, this is the best food court in the world.
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Пікірлер: 57

@jstephenallen 3 жыл бұрын

What a massive food court! Nothing in the US rivals that food court - in size or grandeur. Great video! 👏

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks man, I really appreciate it. I wonder if something like Mall of America comes close in terms of size? But it doesn't seem like it has much of a theme from what I've seen.

@jstephenallen 3 жыл бұрын

@@DeadMallWalking I’ve been to MoA twice, and it’s nowhere near in size or aesthetics. It formerly had three separate normal-sized food courts before the renovation- one in Camp Snoopy theme park which was fun. There’s now only two - a ultra modern one and a very 90s dated one (or was on my last visit several years ago). Both are just normal mall food courts.

@tobyjones5430 2 жыл бұрын

Disney world and other amusement parks have food courts like this but we don’t have any malls in states that come close

@Pandora8_ 3 жыл бұрын

This is insane. I live in London and watch all the usual US dead mall videos on KZfaq and never even thought about dead malls in my own country. This one, I never even knew existed. Its stunning, I can't even put into words. I hope it can make it through this corona period. I really want to visit!

@extrude22 3 жыл бұрын

Pre covid it was far from dead. It’s really on the same level as either of London’s Westfield’s.

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

The commenter below is dead right; this place isn’t usually dead BUT it’s often eerily quiet at the beginning and end of the day. Definitely worth a visit even if it’s more lively than those US dead mall videos.

@rufdymond 3 жыл бұрын

I think the Trafford Centre will be fine...as soon as COVID restrictions are relaxed it will be packed again......I think it’s the best mall in the U.K. (well I haven’t been to a better one)

@Domcas74 3 жыл бұрын

The Trafford centre is amazing. We always go at Christmas from London for a spot of Xmas shopping . After a day spending money, we take our kids to the cinema, then to play laser quest and then for a meal. It reminds me of Caesar’s Palace in Vegas Really missed it this year. Bloody COVID Thanks for the video

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome, Dom! Definitely a touch of Vegas about the place, you're right about that. Here's hoping you can resume your tradition in 2021.

@nicholasshade 3 жыл бұрын

The food court with the sky painted reminds me of the ceiling in Liberace's house.💜

@amnaskitchen786 3 жыл бұрын

great trford mall beautiful video

@VerySoftTea 2 жыл бұрын

This is the first video I've seen from this channel and I can already tell I'm gonna like the rest

@DeadMallWalking 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! That's kind of you to say. I hope you enjoy some of my other videos. I've got another one of this very mall, so that might be a good place to start.

@alexeaton4057 3 жыл бұрын

With lockdown, I needed a reminder of what malls where like of sorts. This provided me with exactly what I needed. Great content 👍

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, I'm glad I could be of help ;)

@karissaexplainsitallxo 3 жыл бұрын

wow this mall is INCREDIBLE! great video 👍

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@KingArannir 3 жыл бұрын

So I took two uni friends, both from down south, to the Trafford Centre a few years back and they were gobsmacked by all of it, like audible wows. I just laughed, cos it was just normal to me

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Yup, it is definitely NOT normal to most of us, haha.

@emmafjm4055 2 жыл бұрын

I worked in that food court for a couple years as a teenager! It was always so so packed and busy 😂

@DeadMallWalking 2 жыл бұрын

That's awesome! Whereabouts in it did you work, if you don't mind me asking? Any good stories?

@TravelHungryForLife 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic place to visit and eat Great share and channel All the best see you again Cheers

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Many thanks!

@lewis6565 5 ай бұрын

Trafford centre is probably the best mall in the uk, only been once as i live far away in Cambridge, but the amount of detail that goes into the architecture is incredible, the Trafford plazzo next to it looks pretty impressive too but i didn't get the chance to go there as my mate had had enough of malls by then 😂

@eoz182 3 жыл бұрын

Ooh missed this video of yours! Love the Trafford Centre food court, I always think the whole mall is akin to Disneyland when it comes to attention to detail 👌

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Well, I'm glad you were able to catch up! And 100%, it might be the most impressive mall I've ever been to. Definitely in the UK at least.

@peeyaboobiya9157 3 жыл бұрын

I love the Trafford Centre. I visited in its opening week when I was a teenager and now I'm married with children I still go. We go fairly regularly. Free parking, undercover and lots of shops to potter about in. I have friends who work there also in different roles. A friend of mine used to be one of a very small team who painted gold leaf and gold paint throughout the centre on the various pillars and accents. However, we've only been twice since the pandemic and since distancing and masks came in and the joy of having a walk, a browse and a shop has definitely been sucked away. However, it's a beautiful place. We also like the lowry shopping outlet as we like to have a look in there coupled with a visit to the Imperial War Museum North over the footbridge, which we really enjoy and our children love to visit, it's fantastic.

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

That's cool about the gold paint! Now that's what I call a specialist job...Agree with you about the joy of spontaneity being taken away by the pandemic somewhat, hoping for a return to normality sooner than later.

@josephhughes1498 3 жыл бұрын

Would love to see more Manchester malls, Interested to see how the Lowry outlet mall is doing considering it was so empty pre pandemic, and for someone to document the bucket ridden almost creepily empty Walkden Shopping Centre. I think most of Manchester’s malls are dying from what I read, one in Rochdale I think closed last week.

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Ah, I was really hoping to check that place (Lowry, I mean) out on this last excursion but unfortunately I ran out of time. I'll Walkden to the list for when I'm next around!

@sprkl5d 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely amazing food court! I wish I could see it in person. But I doubt I'll ever get the opportunity to go to the UK from US. Thanks for sharing!

@DeadMallWalking 2 жыл бұрын

Honestly, it's probably the most impressive I've seen in any mall I've been to. Hey, never say never, you might find your way over here. And you're welcome!

@NikoKourouklis 3 жыл бұрын

You know, this is crazier than Mills design.

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

It's a very different style, and beautiful in its own way, but I think I agree with you.

@Words_of_affection_o.o 3 жыл бұрын

HAPPY NEW YEAR

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, and to you as well :)

@jlily8909 3 жыл бұрын

This looks more like Vegas!

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

I agree. Some bits of it are starting to look a little tired, but there's just no other food court in the UK that can compete in my opinion.

@eurobloke26 3 жыл бұрын

Fascinating. Are you going to to do some dead mall/department store walking soon? It is coming up to that period after Christmas where a lot of retailers go bust, and we have had Debenhams going to be liquidated.

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks bud, and yes, I hope so. With the pandemic going on I've had to get a little creative with what I've been shooting and uploading recently, but I hope to get back into the realm of dead retail soon. Cheers!

@NothingHereButMe 3 жыл бұрын

You should take a look at the bow street mall in Lisburn if you get the chance. It’s still open at the time I’m writing this, but half the units are empty and the place is basically abandoned

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Ooh, thanks for the tip! If I'm over that way, post-lockdown 2.0, then I will definitely try to check it out.

@budgetglados8761 3 жыл бұрын

Theres a few shopping centres/malls in the city I live in but nothing like this. One is practically dead as a whole, another is active besides from the food court which is often pretty quiet, and the third centre is very active. Then again, thats in pre-covid times, I have no idea what theyre like now. Might have to make a trip here when covid goes away, looks pretty good

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting, what city do you live in? Maybe I need to come and film those dead shopping centres, haha.

@budgetglados8761 3 жыл бұрын

@@DeadMallWalking Hull, in England. 1 seems dead usually, the other 2 seemed active, but thats before covid kicked in. Theyll undoubtedly be quieter now

@theblah12 3 жыл бұрын

Similar thing with Cardiff, except that each new shopping centre seams to have stolen the other's visitors being that they're so close to each other. Capitol Centre next to Queen Street Station is a real dead mall, virtually empty at this point, I think the only units actually doing well are the ones directly outside. Queen's Arcade was doing a bit better, but it's lost a ton of stores over the last few years or so and there is a recent planning application to knock the whole thing down and build an open air street in it's place, that's mostly going to be office and residential with a bit of shopping space on the ground floor. Saint David's is still doing fairly well, but it's success is largely the reason why the two other malls and Queen St (what was originally the main high street) are doing so badly.

@619WWEFAN 3 жыл бұрын

Been having a dead mall binge on KZfaq, but most were either in the USA or Canada (where I live). So I was curious about british malls too. Firstly, ur right the food court looks fantastic :) Secondly, I think the key reason that can answer why malls are dying (even before Covid), is the wrong atmosphere for the wrong people. Usually a mall can fail either due to looking too out of date / neglected (most common reason), OR the opposite where the mall looks so elegant / luxury that it can make people too nervous to enter. South China Mall is a perfect example. Was meant to be biggest mall in the world, but due to lack of people in area? It was a difficult sell. Malls in Dubai had different problems, some of them had these huge sections specifically for gold and jewellery. But the number of those stores outweighed the demand and financial ability for the majority. Those were extreme examples, but it similarly applies to many dying malls that have too many stores which are too luxury based. Rather than stores where you could go at anytime and is affordable, and definitely not pretentious. I don’t think malls will ever die 100%, but for a mall to succeed for long term future? It needs to always adjust its layout / type of stores, in order to keep people entering in. Sorry for my long comment 😅 I’m just an analytical guy 😅

@DeadMallWalking 3 жыл бұрын

All good re: the long comment, looks like you've given this stuff some thought! I think you're right on the money regarding malls needing to evolve quickly. But the issue with that is the tone of a neighbourhood can change so quickly due to gentrification, escalating crime and stuff like that, it would be difficult for the "right" stores to get into the mall as it's happening. And, once malls lose people, I think it's rare for them to get them back.

@619WWEFAN 3 жыл бұрын

@@DeadMallWalking I have, especially since I loved malls as a kid / teen. And for a while, I was confused why some malls are dying. But then I got more and more curious, especially since I been going to a mall way less. Of course we cannot ignore how online shopping / amazon played a contributing factor, but i think there are more reasons for their decline (as mentioned in my earlier comment). Another factor I just realized, could be due to fewer people buying cars. Either cars have gotten so expensive they aren’t worthy of buying, or things are so close via walking / public transport that a car isn’t really necessary. Therefore people may not go the distance since they don’t have a car.

@eyeofthetiger6002 3 жыл бұрын

But in a country like Canada with its harsh winters, malls are the only sensible places to shop and socialise in the winter, similarly with malls in Dubai, with its fierce summer heat.