Tender Greens — Restaurant in San Diego

Oh. My. Gosh. Are you frikkin serious? I went here tonight wanting a Happy Vegan Salad with dressing on the side. The guy who was taking my order couldn't hear my name when he asked for it, so I had to repeat it 3 times. Why? Because there were 4 other guys there, (food preparers?) just standing there, talking loud, and looking at one guy's phone. After he took my order, I scooted down a little bit because I had this hunch that they'd do something shady with my order. Only to find as I waited there, that the guy who took my order was sitting there in front of the touch screen, peeling potatoes (and with no gloves!). I got so grossed out! Then, while I was paying, I noticed a food prep guy swiping his phone showing stuff to the other guys.... with gloves on!!! Aren't those supposed to be kept sanitary for food handling? What if he's the type to bring his phone to the bathroom? Completely grossed out. I paid nearly 13 bucks for my salad, and I refuse to eat it. I ended up buying something else here at the UTC dining terrace instead. I wish I could've gotten my money back, but I didn't want to make a scene in there. I felt so uncomfortable. Tender Greens, can I please have my money back? Please contact me if a refund transaction can be done. I have my receipt but I have no way of attaching a photo to this review from my phone for some...

This is my 3rd time trying out this restaurant in the UTC mall.

I love their watermelon juice. This is my staple every time I visit this restaurant, and it was super tasty and refreshing... As much as I love watermelon though, sometimes it's hard to know what to do with a giant melon. Unless you're having a party, a whole watermelon (or even half) is a lot to eat. I'd actually never had watermelon juice before concocting at Tender Green, and I feel like I've been missing out!

I ordered Seared Ahi Tuna and it is reasonably priced at $14-ish. Some premium restaurant could charge you as much as $35 for this dish. Ahi tuna is also known as yellowfin tuna. To make seared ahi, you need to start with very fresh, sushi-grade ahi, as you will only be lightly searing the outside, leaving the inside raw. Not even rare, but raw. The freshness and the quality of the fish make a huge difference with this dish. If you love sushi, this is the salad for you.

My friend and her daughter ordered a chicken salad and steak salad and both are delish.

I recommend this restaurant if you opt for a reasonably priced health eat...

Tender Greens is like a restaurant with a fast-food vibe. You stand in line, order your food, then find a seat. You will get an assigned number which the server will use to deliver your meal. They are also cashless (does anyone carry cash anymore?) and have been prior to the pandemic.

Tender Greens is great for big groups because you can just pay for your food individually vs splitting a big check. Food is good, and healthy-ish. The bread can be hit or miss, but if it is complimentary then give it a try.

I usually enjoy the fried chicken with kale and mashed potatoes and some type of pastry. My favorite items are really just the mashed potatoes and all of their pastries. When in doubt, just order the mashed potatoes. I know people who can live off Tender Greens mashed potatoes. I even had a family convert to mashed potatoes when they saw my mashed potatoes. They might as well rename the restaurant to Tender Mashed Potatoes and forget...