sweetgreen — Restaurant in Cranston

Being a huge fan of SG for years now, I was SO excited to hear we were finally getting one in Rhode Island. However, it’s very clear the service is still working itself out. Here’s our experience yesterday, hope others have a better one.

We went to pick up an early dinner, and were the only ones in the store ordering at the time.

When ordering the Harvest Bowl, one of their most popular bows, we were told the cold sweet potato (a bowl staple) was out, but they had warm sweet potatoes as an alternative. Typically, they would charge extra for it, but she said it’s free of charge in this case. She scooped (literally) 3 small pieces into our bowls, and continued on. I asked if she wouldn’t mind adding a little more. She said she could but would have to charge extra for it. Reluctantly I agreed (which I probably shouldn’t have) and she moved down the line to continue building our bowl.

As she was wrapping up, adding dressing and about the place the lids on, I confusingly asked if she could add another staple ingredient, the chicken. She claims she did and asked if I wanted extra, when I politely replied, “do you mind double checking that you added chicken?” After a few looks of confusion, she realized a few seconds later she didn’t add chicken, went back and added it.

Again, she begins finishing up, about to lid the bowls, when I ask if she was planning to mix the salad? She replies, “oh you want this mixed, sure.” She takes her prongs and moves around some of the kale and toppings a bit. I ask, “don’t you guys usually properly toss the salad in that big metal bowl?” The other lady replied, “Oh, management had us discontinue doing that since it was making our arms tired.”

Ok, got it.

Again, I hope your service experience is better than ours…this was across the board an awkward and unsatisfying experience. Hopefully management improves service at this location...

To be fair, my Shroomami salad was delicious. I would happily eat it again. And the woman who made my salad was so nice and polite on her first day…..However….as someone who has a significant gluten intolerance and a mild dairy intolerance, I was shocked today by the staff’s lack of understanding and training around food intolerances, especially for a food establishment that caters to health-conscious eaters. When I asked for clarification what the “G” on the menu meant - whether it meant gluten-free or contains gluten- I was told multiple times that it meant gluten free. Luckily enough, I realized that was not the case, and that it in fact meant contains gluten. Had I not realized this for myself and confirmed on sweetgreens’ website, I could have unknowingly eaten gluten and been dealing with inflammation and joint pain for at least a week. After my salad was made, I was asked if I’d like bread. I asked if it was gluten free. I kid you not, I literally asked 3 different times and was told 3 different times that their bread was gluten free. I have been gluten free for 10 years. I’ve gotten pretty darn good at identifying what is and what is not gluten free bread. They stuck a piece of their bread on top of my salad and handed it to me. I wasn’t confident, so I took it back to my table and gave it to my husband. Upon searching sweetgreens’ website and elsewhere online, I found no evidence that sweetgreens carries any gluten free bread options. The only reason I’ve given 3 stars is because the Shroomami salad was delicious and so far I do not seem to have had any reaction to it….though, knowing the staff’s lack of knowledge around food intolerances, it does make me question….what did I actually eat there? Perhaps giving 3 stars is...

This place is so overrated. They have the most rip-off salads. They have the slowest staff in the world. There can be 4 people in front of you and you will wait 15 minutes for a salad. There are multiple people in the back just standing around doing nothing and not helping the food line. The environment is not cozy, and the setup is terribly wrong. Where in the world is the line set up to go behind the back of your chair while you are trying to eat. Yes, here. Your corect. So you get bumped while you're trying to eat. All while the people who are coming in off the street to pick up their take out order have all the space in the world. The design makes no sense. And no decent salad should be $17. I'll go next door to The Tavern if I want to spend twenty dollars on a salad. Sweetgreen has lost their mind. This is the most rip-off salad place you will ever go to in your entire life. The flavor is okay, not amazing. And nowhere near worth 9 dollars, never mind 17. And for those of you who are reading this thinking, I've only gone there once and I had a bad experience that is not the case. I have been in there 4 times and I felt like that all 4 times. I don't think I'll...