Emerald City Smoothie — Restaurant in South Windsor

Do NOT bring your business here if you have dietary needs, they will NOT accommodate you. Not once, but TWICE, my boyfriend and I gave this place the benefit of the doubt. Not once, but TWICE, he ended up in urgent care because he’s lactose intolerant and they gave him whey protein when he requested vegan protein. The first time we came he received his smoothie, tasted it, told me it tasted off and decided to go ahead and ask the employee working if she was sure it wasn’t whey. Without confirming or providing any further information, the girl responds with a ditsy, “totally!” ….. Long story short he had a long night of excruciating stomach pain which resulted in a trip to urgent care. Being nice people, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried again a couple weeks later. Since visiting emerald yesterday, and the smoothie being the ONLY thing he consumed, my boyfriend has been absolutely suffering. When we leave urgent care this time I’ll be calling the restaurant because not once but TWICE is a complete lack of common sense, accountability, and the ability to do the simple task you get paid for! I worked in the food industry in the past. Scooping vegan instead of whey protein into a blender should NOT be that difficult. Poor guy is in too much pain to even speak up for himself so I will.

Edit: I’ve spoken to the owner and was assured the “camera footage showed the employee put in vegan not whey”. This doesn’t mean much as this happened to him not once but twice. We won’t be risking it or coming back. Lactose intolerance is serious. For a business that claims to cater to dietary needs, they must not make sure their counter space and utensils are sanitized correctly or ensuring no cross contamination is taking place. It seems like an act of carelessness. If the kids working there were paying attention to things like that this would not have happened MORE THAN ONCE. He’s had different vegan protein brands before with no issues. Suddenly he orders it from emerald and immediately went into excruciating pain BOTH times. Something’s not right there....

I love the smoothies at Emerald City. There are a ton of smoothie options (non-fat milk/soy milk/ice ream/protein powders...) and even a kids menu that offers the same great taste at a LOWER price. My mom (who is in her 60s) and my son (who is 7) also like Emerald's.

But as one reviewer noted, this place does not offer yogurt products. I don't see this as a negative, I just see it as a place for people who don't prefer yogurt. As for me, I like yogurt, but I like soy just as much.

Be warned, this is not a fast-food place. There is one guy behind the counter and he is doing it all (orders...cashier...making smoothies), so BE READY TO WAIT, especially if there is someone already in line.

For those who are waiting to order or receive their smoothie, there is a television on and there are tales and chairs. I usually get into a conversation with the guy about current events playing out on the television, and I notice that most customers are chatting with him because they are regulars (like myself). He looks quiet but, if you initiate a topic, you'll will find that he is friendly and likes to chat.

As for decor, the place is clean and has simple/nice decorations.

*FYI: Another reviewer mentioned that they were charged for tipping even though they had not included a tip on their credit card receipt. I have used a credit card for all of my purchases and have not found any discrepancies, but I cannot say that this won't/doesn't happen to anyone else; so it sounds as if it is a good idea to later check your credit card transaction history to ensure that this extra charge is not on your receipt.

If you like smoothies, I think you'll find this place is worth a try (and maybe even your...

I generally don’t write reviews, especially bad reviews, but I am inclined to write one today. I have no idea what her name is, but good god she was awfully rude. Working the morning shift of 7/6/24. I walk in around an hour and a half after opening, and there are already several customers in the store so I completely understand that with only two staff members it was likely very busy and getting a bit overwhelming. As someone who has worked in food service, I am totally understanding of this. But I walk up to the girl at the counter and cheerfully say “good morning!”; she ignores me. So now I’m just standing there, and she seems to be having issue with the register which I totally understand. She doesn’t even acknowledge me though. Then the proceeds to speak to her coworker, and then walk away and start making a smoothie all while I’m still standing there and she completely avoids even looking up at me seemingly purposely. I was honest to god standing there for five minutes just looking like an idiot while she blatantly ignored me. On top of this, it felt very personal for some reason because after she finally did acknowledge me and take my order, she promptly got to the other customers in line with no issue. Again, I’m not sure if maybe it was just an off day for her and I’m a very understanding person, but I also work in customer service and it’s important to at least acknowledge your customers. A simple “good morning! I’ll be with you in a minute” would’ve sufficed. I’ve only been in here one other time and that time was very pleasant so I definitely will give it another shot. I just don’t believe it was fair that I was...