Chopped Leaf — Restaurant in Saskatoon

Amended from one to three stars: We ordered delivery from the Betts Ave location for lunch. The food tasted great and the portion size was good. Why, then, you may ask, did I initially leave a one star review?

One of my friends (a vegetarian) had ordered one of the vegan options. Relatively shortly after we had all eaten, she began to feel a tightness in her throat, like a minor version of an anaphylactic reaction, which she recognized because she is allergic to shellfish (she has to ingest shellfish to react). My order did include shrimp, but she had not touched any of my food. Fortunately, half of the people present were nurses, we had benadryl handy, so we were able to treat and monitor. She's ok.

She called the Betts location and was put in touch with the manager there. When asked if there was potential for cross-contamination, she was informed that they use the same chopping block for all of the food without cleansing it in between. My friend then asked how they could claim the dish was vegan, if the food wasn't actually kept separate from the meat, and informed the manager that the shrimp being mixed in with her meal had caused her to have an allergic reaction. The manager stated in no uncertain terms that if she had wanted something truly vegan that she apparently needed to specifically indicate that she wanted a truly vegan meal, and that if she had a reaction because of their food it was her fault as a customer for not directly indicating to them that she had an allergy, not their fault as an eatery.

"What if a child with a severe shellfish allergy had ordered food there?" my friend asked. "That would be the fault of the parents." The manager stated, at this point in a quite elevated voice.

Their manager refused to put us in touch with anyone above her, or provide any means of contacting the company directly. We were able to, because we have access to the internet.

I really do enjoy the food there, and I wish that I could leave a five-star review. This one star review is for the manager (I don't know the manager's name, but it's whomever was on the day shift at lunch on January 4, 2022) and for the lack of basic healthy, safe food preparation. If your menu states something is vegan, and lists the ingredients, then it should be vegan, and the ingredients listed should be the only thing that the customer receives. And if someone calls with a complaint or concern, your reaction should be to solve the problem, not to blame the customer.

Addendum: the owner communicated with my friend and to her credit took great effort to make things right. My friend received an apology from the manager, who fully owned up to what had transpired (credit where it's due), and an apology from the owner, who assured her that steps are being taken to correct the food prep and that she fully intends for it never to happen again. As of the writing of this addendum, it's too soon to say whether or not the changes are actually being adhered to. I truly hope that the changes are made and adhered to and that in the future I can change this three star review to a five...

One Star Review: Today we stopped in to take out two gluten free wraps done on rice paper wraps - first time I have ordered a GF wrap. We waited 20 minutes before they emerged from the back. When the lady presented them to us to go, she told us, rather rudely, that next time we come we should expect them to take a long time because they are made with rice paper wraps. Then proceeded to tell us that she had to rewrap them three times and they were training new people. When I mentioned that it was a very long wait she repeated herself and offered no apology. She did give us a coupon for $2 off our next visit. The wraps were a huge disappointment and fell apart within a couple of bites. Chopped Leaf, consider a better GF option, please. Rice paper wraps are a bad idea :(

Five Star Update: the owner contacted me directly and was extremely helpful and understanding. She apologized for the staff issues and gave us a free meal for our troubles. Highly professional and an excellent owner/Manager! My love of Chopped Leaf has been restored! Upgrading...

Good food but not worth the wait. Been there twice this week, first time I ordered there, I waited over 20mins for food, while the workers played on their phones and gossiped in the back inbetween orders. Second time, I decided to order pickup, and the pickup time was 20mins later, which is fine. I got there at the pickup time and they hadn't even started to make the food and said it would be a few minutes. Then they said they didn't even have the soup which was the only soup available on the online menu so they gave me a different kind. Went next door to get a drink from another resturant during the wait and came back and they still hadn't even started making the food. I don't see the point to having pickup available if you arent going to start making the food untill the customer get their. Ended up waiting an additional 15mins to get food I...