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| - I am VERY disappointed that our favorite local salad buffet had changed to this new place seemingly overnight without much, if any, warning. But I was pleasantly surprised by my recent visit and give them 3 stars. Here's why:
What's good:
The build your salad ($6.99 for lunch) had just about everything I normally put on my salad. Plus some nice extras such as apple slices, fresh pineapple, mini orange things, and edamame to name a few. I got my dressings on the side in little cups. The mango and sesame tasted great. Quality was the same as the old ST.
You can build a salad that's twice the size as before since the new metal bowl is large and deep. And since it's no longer a buffet, you can share a plate. (Or at least, we did without getting yelled at.)
The cream of mushroom soup was pretty damn good.
Bread selection was good.
Yogurt was the same as before. Waffle bowl is better than the mini cake cones.
We also purchased some type of pomegranate drink which was good. ($2.79) You can refill your glass with the standard sodas and teas afterward too, with no extra charge.
I tried the samples of cookies and they were all delicious. (comparable to Paradise or better) I didn't buy any however. ($1.99 each)
Tried 2 Mini-Cupcakes. Red Velvet and Vanilla. ($.99 each). Both were very good.
The décor was moderately updated. Of course the food stations are all redone. There are some new lights, upside-down hanging plants, random herbs, silverware buckets at each table, and of course the new metal trays and salad bowls, and updated ceramic dishes.
Customer service was just fine. All the employees were in good spirits and very helpful.
What's not as good:
Most obviously, the buffet aspect is gone. No more seconds except for the bread.
The menu is all over the place, literally! There's a monster huge one when you walk in. Then there are smaller item menus at each food station. It would be nice to have something on a piece a paper to look at and reference. We had to repeatedly get up to see what's available.
There were very few or no labels for most of the salad bar, soup, and condiment items. Many times I didn't know what was inside the dish. What is vegetarian? Does it have pork/bacon? Nuts? How about a list of the dressings, since there seems to be many unique ones now? The fellow behind the counter had to recite them 3 times for us.
Chicken noodle soup didn't have noodles or big chunks of chicken like the old ST.
No premium vegetarian soups!
Corn bread was on the dry side.
No toppings for the yogurt.
The décor was only moderately updated. The ugly nasty reddish carpet remains. How many gallons of old salad dressing and food juice is half-lifeing on that old thing?
Also, the old ceiling fans were still there and were covered in a THICK layer of dust. The place should be spotless after being redesigned.
For a "new" restaurant, we were never approached by any management types to ask us how we liked everything even though we saw them.
I really didn't like the swipe card. I was nervous about losing the thing ($50 fine!) and watched it like a hawk. You have to always have it with you, and be careful if the staff takes your tray and the card gets taken too. Also the card can be a source of cross contamination (germs and bacteria) since it's being repeatedly handled by employees who have handled other cards who have been handled by other customer's dirty hands.
Seems some of the employees still need to study-up on the menu and procedures though, as a few of our questions could not be answered right away.
What's up with the service charge? That's just low class. People will leave a few bucks at the table if warranted. But by adding it automatically, it guarantees nobody will leave it at the table while surprising the customer upon checkout and leaving them with a bad feeling about the place.
Other thoughts:
There is potential to really play up the take-out aspect of this new concept. For example, I could see myself swinging by for a few of those delicious cookies, cupcakes, or a bowl of soup or salad to-go. I think it's possible, but it's not advertised and I didn't see any to-go containers.
You really can spend a little or a lot at this place. It can definitely play well for parties where not everyone wants a salad. (I'm fine with just cookies for dinner!)
I understand completely how the regulars are disappointed by the change. Proper communications and setting our expectations way in advance would have made a world of difference. BUT my first visit to FK wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There's definitely room for improvement. All things considered, I hope they succeed (or go back to the old ST.)
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