Zero Degrees — Restaurant in Bloomington

I hate to say it, but tonight's experience here was unsanitary, thus unacceptable and deserves 1 star or lower. My family of 6 loves to come here for sweet treats, ramen, popcorn chicken, and especially egg waffle. We are patrons here at least once a week and when family/friends visit us from out-of-town, we bring them here and rave about it. In fact, my husband just took my in-laws and our kids here yesterday, and they liked the items they got. We love this place for their boba, as we think theirs is cooked the best in town. But tonight, when my youngest son and I came in and asked for his usual, egg waffle, I watched the kid that made it pick up the waffle with his bare hands (i think he had just finished mopping the place too, coz it was 10pm and there were wet floor signs up, so i dont know if he washed his hands before handling the waffle). And because the waffle was still too hot, it ripped apart and he dropped it on the counter. I watched him pick it up, roll it up and slide it into the fancy paper and container they normally put it in, then he put it in the to-go paper bag and called our order up. I didn't think I should have to tell him that, first of all, to not handle someone's food with his bare hands, and second of all that he should make us another one, since he dropped it on the counter. If this place is going to hire people inexperienced in the service industry, management should really teach proper food handling, whether or not the customers can see it happening. This kid was obviously clueless that he did anything wrong, since he saw me watch him handle the food the way that he did. So, I did not complain to him. Instead, we took the bag and I told my son to not eat it -- we got in the car and threw it straight in our car trash. An item that cost me about $5 and waiting time, straight to trash. I am leaving this review so that the owner/management will learn from it and improve those who run his/her business when management is not watching. Your workers are your best investment - they can make or break your business. People start coming here for the novelty of the items. You don't sell medicine or groceries, you sell unnecessary items. Your quality of service and product are what will keep people coming back and recommending to others. I have left really positive reviews about this place before. I'm not the type who gives only negative or only raving reviews...I give balanced reviews for every experience I find worthy of a review, one that potential patrons might find helpful. I hope the owner takes this input and addresses this particular instance and teaches his staff. On that note, my large papaya milk tea with honey boba was yummy, as always, and was made much more quickly than usual, since it wasn't too busy tonight. My family will come back for another try of the egg waffle. But next time I see the same unsanitary thing happen, I will say something to the staff. I might even consider reporting to BBB or health department depending on...

Zero Degrees has east Asian food and drinks including but not limited to bubble tea, ramen, Korean-style corn dogs, and egg waffles. The store is colourful and cute but not over the top, and the seating is very comfortable. They have wifi. I got a taro meets ube drink with pudding and a pumpkin spice egg waffle (fall special). I haven't had an egg waffle in a while since I don't know of any other place in Bloomington that makes them and I love pumpkin spice, so I was very excited about this waffle, and it did not let me down. The pumpkin spice flavour was nice, the waffle was fluffy and cooked right. They lightly drizzled it with a caramel sauce but the waffle itself wasn’t too sweet so it balanced out. I liked the taro meets ube, which was taro milk tea with ube paste. The taro and ube flavours were similar but enhanced each other. I didn't see if I could adjust the sweetness level, but the default wasn't overly sweet. I was able to get this drink with soy milk instead of regular milk, although the barista let me know that the ube paste contains milk that can't be removed. The barista and lady cooking in the back both seemed very friendly. My drink was ready quickly. It took a while, maybe 15 minutes to get my waffle, but they apologized...

This is our usual spot for bubble tea when we visit Bloomington. Unfortunately, we've noticed a significant decline in their food quality and service. Last Saturday night, we ordered tiramisu, crème brûlée, and a dalgona coffee, and everything was disappointing.

The tiramisu was incredibly stale, like it had been sitting for 15 days, with about 25-30% mold inside, and it smelled awful. When I informed the server, he dismissively asked, "So what can I do for you?" I clarified that I wasn't asking for a refund but wanted to ensure they didn't serve it to other customers. He just smiled and started mopping the floor.

The crème brûlée wasn't as bad, but it wasn't fresh either. None of the four of us felt confident enough to take a second bite. The dalgona coffee tasted good, but the brown sugar boba was hard, as if it had been prepared hours earlier.

The store's cleanliness has also declined significantly. Most of the tables were greasy, and we had to clean our own table with napkins before sitting down.

We used to love coming here, and the previous staff was much more active and friendly. Sadly, I don't think we'll be returning. Thanks for all the lovely drinks and...