Smoothie King — Restaurant in Roanoke

The manager Brandon D went above and beyond to help me make a decision on what to get. This was my first time into any type of smoothie shop and he made me feel very comfortable with all the knowledge he has about the products he sells and the brand he represents. It has been on my to do list to get into the smoothie world but truthfully quite intimidating. I don’t want to look like a fool standing in front of a line of people asking the most basic or “dumb” questions. I had a ton of questions but he had an answer for each one. He took his time in answering all of them in a way that a newbie would understand. He did not rush me and he did not get frustrated with the questions I had. He even set me up for success by giving me the SK Menu that could also answer questions for me and help me with nutritional information. The store itself was immaculate. Being a person with ocd myself, when I walked in, there was a sense of calmness in the environment of the store that I could only feel if I just deep cleaned every inch of the store myself so that I know every nook and cranny is without a doubt 100% clean and then sat down to relax with a job well done. It was absolutely perfect. No exaggeration. There was not a drop of juice, a piece of fruit, or a speck of powder anywhere on any counter or other surfaces. Not a finger print on the glass or mirror in the restroom. And a side note. All of this was accomplished without a hint of a harsh chemical smell in the air. I stepped back to look at the menu and pictures of other smoothies while he was continuing to help other customers. I was already so impressed with my service and my smoothie. I said nice to meet you and see ya next time as I was headed for the door. But this gentleman did the unexpected and surpassed above and beyond and said hold on a second sir I got something for you. I turned around and he handed me a $50 gift card to SK. Now one thing I didn’t mention earlier was that within all my questions I told him that I don’t even like fruit or vegetables at all. Give me a banana or some blueberries or spinach and I will never eat it. But I’m trying to make better decisions for my health. I figured if I could eat them in a different form I might be able to muscle them down enough and still get the intake that I need so that’s why I came. When he handed me the gift card, he told me that he just wanted to do something for me so that I could be able to try other smoothies and if I didn’t like them, it was on the house so there wasn’t too much to worry about. I want to point out that that was his own personal touch. Within meeting me and having a conversation with me, he felt led to do that and that is something you cannot teach. That is him being himself as a person through and through. I know on receipts. They always have a website to do a survey or leave some comments and I was going to check it out on my receipts, but he also pointed it out to me first. I don’t give too many reviews whether they’re positive or negative but when somebody does more than just the regular, I will definitely take the time , and leave a very detailed review and I’ve only left maybe less than 10 in my entire life, but he is definitely one of them. As a person who has been in restaurant upper management for most of my experience, this gentleman is exactly what you hope for as one of your employees. He touched on everything that he needed to do and more. From the moment I walked in the door until the moment I walked out of the door. I was highly satisfied in every single area that you could score on a survey. This gentleman deserves a raise, he deserves a promotion , he deserves to be a trainer of some sort, or a district manager if It’s his desire to do so. He has made me a SK customer for life, and I will never even step into another place similar because I know the service cannot get any better than what I experienced...

I am truly hoping that a one star review with context will spur some rethinking on the leadership/owner’s side. I left this location at exactly 5:41p CST on Wednesday, 11/20/24, which is important so you can determine who I am referring to based on shift times. I am in the service industry myself and I have NEVER given a one star review because I know how it can affect people’s pay, livelihoods, and the success of the business. Here is why this is a one star based on my experience:

To the young man that was taking orders on the mic, I told him six times that I couldn’t understand him. He was mumbling and using extremely casual language, answering, “Naw” and “Yuh” to me. I couldn’t tell if he got my order on the third try because of awkward silence, so I drove to the window. From there, he just stuck his hand out without saying anything to me after I apologized to him for not being able to understand what he was saying (giving him the benefit of the doubt). He just laughed with his hand out and said, “Naw, you’re good.” I then handed him a gift card I had recently received and asked him if he could tell me how much was on it.

He took the card, again not saying anything and after about two minutes he came back and said, “I can’t do this for you” and handed me the card back. I started to laugh because at this point, I felt compelled to say something but I resisted and asked, “Can you scan it then and tell me how much it charges to the card?” Again, he just took the card out of my hand without saying anything and scanned it. Then he returned it back to me with what I thought was a receipt (it turns out it was the remaining balance owed). He just stood there, looking at me with his hand out again. He didn’t tell me more was owed or attempt to help me out. I asked, “Is there more due?” to which he responded, “Five dollars.”

At this point, I made up my mind that I was going to leave a one star review at the brand new location that I was so excited about. This was my first visit and had been going to the Flower Mound location which is farther from me. The ONLY saving grace was the young woman who handed me my drink and said confidently and with a bright smile, “Thank you for your patience. We appreciate you. Have a great night.” Wow!

She gets a five star. That’s all it took. Basic behaviors or customer service. I’m not at all trying to be anything other than helpful to leadership at this location. I will most likely not be coming back again and if that young man isn’t coached to immediately, others probably won’t either. The first thing I would do if I was the manager is pull that young woman from making the shakes and have her be customer facing moving forward. I hope that young man learns from this and corrects because that was the worst customer service I’ve ever experience. I hope this location survives but I am confident that if that continues this is...

If Smoothie King gave out crowns, Cayleigh Bell would be wearing one every shift 👑🥤. She is hands-down the BEST! Every time I come in, she greets me with the brightest smile (seriously could light up the whole store), and somehow makes my smoothie taste like pure happiness in a cup. 🌈✨ Not only does she make the best smoothies (perfect balance, never watered down, always on point), but she’s also just the sweetest and most adorable person to be around. You can tell she genuinely cares about customers, which makes the whole experience 10x better. Cayleigh isn’t just an employee—she’s the heart of this Smoothie King. If you haven’t had a smoothie made by her yet, you’re missing out big time. She deserves all the stars and then...