Meet Fresh — Restaurant in Monterey Park

Yikes. This place is like BAD bad.

TL;DR: Horrible service and not worth your time or frustration.

There were a couple people ahead of me when I was the last in line to place my order at the counter, when the cashier left to go get something. I waited for several minutes for him to return as I saw his two teammates rushing to fulfill orders. When he returned, they asked him to help back them up, and he laughed as he took his time getting tap water for another customer who had been waiting.

Not sure why he decided to put on gloves after serving the customer, but when he finally finished slowly putting on his gloves and went to stand behind the register, I started to place my order, and he stopped me mid-sentence telling me that they were no longer taking orders and that I could only order through the self-order kiosk. There were already two long lines for each kiosk and due to the placement of the kiosks being so close to the front doors, everyone was crammed up like sardines waiting to make their order.

I had already been waiting several minutes, and there was no consideration made on his part to acknowledge that he's sending to the back of another line despite already waiting in line. He said they were really backed up and they weren't taking orders for "right now". There was no signage to indicate that staff have the discretion to do this to customers.

Lack of consideration doesn't mean understaffed -- it's rude. And to see this cashier take his time when his two teammates are drowning in orders, rushing to make shaved ice concoctions as fast as they could... it was just really disheartening to see. Never seen a Meet Fresh operated and managed so poorly as this one.

Save yourself the frustration and just make the further trek to the one in San Gabriel on Las Tunas. Or better yet, check out Premier Dessert Art on Garvey; as this place has a long way to go in terms of improving their customer service and being more efficient in handling crowds.

Other notes:

If you want waffles, do NOT go on Fridays after 7pm or on the weekends because they don't serve it during those times.

There is no signage anywhere that states when they will only take orders at the self-order kiosks, so make sure you ask thr cashier in advance.

There were several people out of uniform without gloves handling cleaning products and food going in and out of...

My favorite dessert place to go to in MPK.

Hooshik used to be my favorite shaved iced spot, until it closed down. Since then, MPK was missing a shaved ice spot and Meet Fresh couldn't have come at a better time, right before Summer begins.

Location & Parking: The location is a in a bustling area next to Holiday Inn and a walkable distance to AMC and other great restaurants. Parking is shared with the Holiday Inn parking structure. There are two underground levels and ground level parking.

Minor Critiques about Interior Design: The entrance to all Meet Fresh locations are somewhat poorly designed from my experience. This location is a lot more cramped than other locations. The kiosks are placed at the front entrance with not much space to line up. The line is usually out the door or blocking the narrow walkway to the pick up counter. I think it would be a great addition to have blackout blinds/curtains for the seating along the front entrance during sunset (similar to Gram Cafe & Pancakes). It would also be nice to include a screen or speaker to display and announce which order number is ready for pick up. I lost cell phone service and wasn't able to receive texts when my order was ready.

Every time I visit a Meet Fresh, I'm left shivering because they love to blast the air conditioner. I can understand why, but reminder to myself, bring a jacket while I eat their delicious shaved ice. My go-to order would be the Fluffy Wintermelon Tea with 1/2 sugar and Pudding & Q Mochi Milk Shaved Ice. This location makes the Wintermelon super sweet, so I went with 1/2 sugar the second time and it was perfect. Their almond pudding is my favorite. I wish they could serve those by itself.

Service: This location seems understaffed (maybe due to the grand opening), but the staff were trying their best. I appreciate how they were genuinely apologetic for the long wait time. I will definitely come back to...

Meet Fresh is a ubiquitous chain from Taiwan. Serving Taiwanese desserts such as taro balls, grass jelly, and boba, their quality is constant across their chains.

I went a few days after their grand opening, May 29th, 2024, and when I arrived at their opening time, there was a line of about 10-20 people on a Monday morning. I ordered their BOGO promotion for their grand opening week - two icy grass jelly signatures.

Similar to the other chains, their quality is consistent. The grass jelly is smooth and refreshing; the taro balls have a chewy texture; the ice on the bottom compliments the other components; and the creamer they provide adds a little bit of creaminess to the icy consistency.

Unfortunately, due to understaffing, they were unable to provide water or Hong Kong style bubble waffles. In addition, the orders took a little bit of time to come out. I understand that it isn't their fault and I empathize with their situation - especially since they looked like the employees were scrambling to fulfill orders and restock. I would hope the owner(s) of the franchise are able to hire more people to provide some relief. I was also surprised to see a lack of technology incorporated at this location. In other Meet Fresh restaurants, they usually have a ringer or a TV with orders that are ready. In this franchise, the employees had to yell, which isn't too effective in such a large location and doubly so if it is busy with chit chat.

Overall, I am glad that another dessert shop is opening up in the MP area. Since the store is new, everything was clean and felt open with large windows providing...