Roots Natural Kitchen — Restaurant in Scott Township

I’ve loved the Roots in Oakland for years and was super excited to hear there was one opening right down the road from me in the South Hills. I’ve ordered delivery or drive thru from them about 5-6 times now since the grand opening. There has definitely been some consistency issues and forgetting of add-ons. I get the Balboa every single time because it is so darn tasty. This past Sunday was my last visit and they completely forgot to add the jalapeños I paid for as an add-on and also forgot the pita chips which are typically in the bowl. Half the time the chicken portion has been super light as well considering it’s supposed to be 1.5x serving…I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and really hope they are just working out the kinks for having just opened. I hope the consistency improves because it’s really one of the best guilty free spots to eat these days. EDIT: I am done with this location. They have consistently messed up our order the last handful of times we ordered delivery from here. They somehow forgot to add the chicken to my Balboa last night, again, which is the main ingredient….and this wasn’t the first time. My wife and I ordered from here about 15x since they opened and they have only got our orders correct around 30% of the time. We always do the Balboa and Pesto Caesar, yet they somehow continue to screw it up by missing ingredients completely or adding copious, inedible amounts of dressing… It’s ALWAYS something. I can’t imagine how it would turn out if we actually attempted to order a “build your own” bowl. It’s a shame because we really loved the first Roots location in PGH and were super excited about this store opening since it is so close and convenient to where we live, but the constant and now expected inconsistency at this point…we’re over it. We’ll stick with the Oakland location...

First time trying this new neighborhood restaurant - I opted for the vegetarian version of creating my own bowl, since there are so many choices when you enter. It’s a lot like Chipotle where you tell the workers behind the counter as you go down the line and choose what you want to add to your bowl or salad.

There were 3 employees working there, with 2 customers ahead of me. The restaurant was not busy and had one family eating outside when I arrived.

An older woman who looked like she could be the manager, started my order. She was not very welcoming as I was trying to decide what I wanted, making the whole experience seem so rushed as I tried to figure out what bases to choose.

She then passed me off to a black man who seemed very annoyed and rude as I was adding on my 5 toppings, and tried to choose my dressing. He was not friendly at all, and maybe was having a bad day, but at least the young cashier was nice upon checkout.

Food was ok, ingredients seemed fresh but it was nothing special as there are so many rice/grain bowl places opening up now. I sincerely hope they work on their customer service skills and cater to new customers better. It was not a pleasant place to visit as a brand new customer who was excited to try a new and healthier place to...

I really appreciate having Roots nearby. It’s my go-to spot for fast, healthy food, and I usually enjoy both the meals and the convenience.

During my most recent visit, though, the experience felt a bit off. My bowl included ingredients I hadn’t ordered, and the dressing had leaked through the bag and onto the container. When I asked for a replacement bag and dressing, the team provided them, which I appreciated, but the interaction felt transactional rather than welcoming. There was no acknowledgment or apology.

On a past visit, when my dressing was missing, I called and was told I could return for a new bowl. That gesture really stood out as great customer service, but when I came in, the handoff felt awkward instead of warm.

I’m sharing this because I truly enjoy Roots and want to see that friendly, intentional service match the quality...