Roots Natural Kitchen — Restaurant in Blacksburg

First off, I think the food at Roots is good but my most recent experience soured the restaurant for me. They advertise free kid meals with the purchase of a regular bowl, and our family has taken advantage of this a few times. Earlier in the pandemic we called to ask how this worked for takeout and were told to just write in the order notes when placing a takeout order online; this has gone smoothly for us a few times previously. Yesterday we placed an order like this and when picking it up I was told the children had to be present. I explained I was trying to avoid bringing them inside but could bring them just outside to the door (this is due to COVID; both my kids are too young to be vaccinated). The employee got visibly agitated at this and told me it was a dine-in promotion only, contradicting both her earlier offer to make them if I brought the kids inside and the information on their own website.

After this I asked her to cancel the order and left. If their requirement for the promotion is the child must be physically inside the restaurant, then that is fine. However, they need to be more consistent with their communication. I would also ask they be sensitive to parents with young children trying to take COVID precautions seriously; cases in VA are nearly 5x what they were...

Good things first, it's a short enough list. The music choice and decor lend a relaxed vibe and the intention to be healthful is clear. That's about it.

I was surprised and disappointed when I took my first bite and the anticipated freshness of leaves and cilantro lime dressing and the comfort of roasted sweet potatoes and beets were downright demolished by the strong arming flavor of cinnamon sugar. The best I can say about what I got is that I was hungry enough to finish it. My wife liked hers better until she found something in one of her bites that felt like plastic (Picture 2). She emphatically declared "we're not returning," to which my body responded with a wave of relief.

There's no telling what hidden ingredient lurk behind the high vibrational descriptions (I mean... Tahini with soy? Sweet potatoes with cinnamon sugar??). Tread wisely, and if you care about flavor then just order from their preselected menu. If you care about purity, go to the...

I came at 8:45p. Too close to closing I am assuming. I stood there for about 3-5 min before anyone greeted me and then when she did she seemed very rushed. Literally slapping my salad together in less than a min. I let that slide. I worked retail/food stores before. I get it. You wanna close. HOWEVER…. She drowned my salad. Like soaked it in dressing. I can barely eat it. It’s so wet. And mushy. She didn’t even ask me if I wanted heavy. Light. On the side. Nothing. Just started making it. And before I could even say anything she was squeezing gallons of dressing in the bowl. So then I thought. Okay. Maybe this is the roots way. I’ll give it a try. 🙄. NOPE! Trash. This is my FIRST time at a roots EVER. And most likely my last. I was so excited to give them a try too. Being from Chicago and traveling a lot. I rarely stay in smaller cities that have healthy food options. Oh well. Back to packing my lunch on the road. Shoulda...