Groundswell Cafe — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

We utilized Groundwell to cater our annual retreat for a group of 65. The communication regarding food portions was poor. We were told the 1/2 sandwich platter would feed 24 people which lead us to believe we would receive 24 whole sandwiches (or 48 halves). We ended up running out of food at our event because we had one 1/2 sandwich for each person, which was not enough for many of our people.

Additionally, the salad we received as part of our catering package was supposed to feed 24 people per bowl. The salad bowls were quite small considering the crowd size and they only contained spring greens and very little (if any) other vegetables, etc. We rain out of salad before half of our group got through the line.

When we shared these concerns with the catering team following our event, we were told they were working on creating a better ordering system and when we order again, they will discount us 15%.

However, we will not be ordering again due to our experience. Overall we were very...

Love this place. The food is fresh and tasty, high-quality with much of it sourced by local farms. Nice location on the west side of downtown close to other good eating spots. The atmosphere is a good mixture of warm/inviting and also clean/modern. Even though it's newly opened, the service was quick and friendly.

But here's the best part: the pay-it-forward mission. Instead of adding tip to your payment, you can tap a button and choose a level to add to their pay-it-forward fund which sponsors free meals for people who might not be able to afford a nice lunch. Anybody who wants to eat there for free just picks up one of the free meal cards and hands it to the cashier.

Plus, the whole place is run by Matthew 25, which is a great organization that does a lot of good in...

“Pay it Forward” farm-to-table restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch. The menu includes many fresh, tasty soups, salads, wraps, and omelettes. A limited selection of bakery items are available, too. The workers at the café are super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Some of my favorite items include the veggie omelette with vegan cheese, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, and sweet potato; salad with peanut dressing; and the new falafel wrap. Parking is easily available in front of the restaurant. I highly recommend it, and hope you enjoy your visits as...