Blend Smoothie and Salad Bar - Monroe — Restaurant in Town of Monroe

Edit: Updating with most recent experiences, removing another star. I will detail below.

Didn't realize this place existed until, as an UberEats delivery driver, I was called there to make a delivery -- but was pleased that I did. Tasty smoothie, and you can see all the fresh ingredients. I've returned a few times. So why a lower rating? Charging 3% extra for using a credit card is just WRONG. Especially when you're a business selling a product aimed at modern, younger customers who are much less likely to ever carry cash. Speed of service -- they have so many employees, but no clear assignments of duties, so during at least one of my visits, the order just sat in the printer because everyone was doing side work and no one was assigned to work that section of the prep area. Pricing for online ordering was even higher than the credit card prices. Again, are you trying to take advantage of people during the pandemic? My smoothie was about $1.50 higher on DoorDash than if I walked in -- a 21% increase!

Update: since I last wrote this review, I have been back a few more times. I have learned this: DO NOT GO DURING LUNCH HOUR. The employees are not cross-trained and do not help each other at all. Please note, during all this, I witnessed a manager, male, hispanic, wearing a polo shirt (everyone else in t-shirts) ignoring all the problems I will mention, and his response was deplorable. I ordered a smoothie. The cashier was overwhelmed with customers, the line long, but only one register open. There were different employees at each station, one making salads, one making wraps, one making smoothies, etc. Problem is, the employee making smoothies had more orders than anyone else -- and no one was helping him. Ten minutes after I paid, I noticed he hadn't even started mine yet, but other customers had paid and left with food purchases. When I asked the manager why one of the other employees couldn't help him, as he was clearly overwhelmed (and a trainee, I think, constantly looking at the recipes for each drink he made), the manager told me that no one could "because we have a system". He also told me that if I could do it better, I could have his job, as they were hiring.

(Oddly enough, I COULD do his job better -- I'm an experienced restaurant and chain manager with multi-unit experience, so I've handled harder situations than just a few slow employees in a juice bar.)

Reluctantly, the manager jumped in and made my drink, and sent me on my way. I'm torn now -- I don't know if I should go back, as I've invested a lot into the points on my loyalty card, and I'm more than halfway to a reward. (Another point: 75% of the cashiers don't know how to handle that -- again, they aren't training the employees before leaving them alone with customers.)

None of the above problems are pandemic related -- it shows just a flaw in either the store's system, or the poor management...

Excellent new menu the lovely woman who just made the most delicious HEALTHY smoothies for breakfast and lunch and a great coffee smoothie should be promoted SO NICE AS WELL always a plus 🥰 I am only concerned that the cool Vision Times newspaper has a lot of incorrect information and no grammar I.e. punctuation matters especially for kids learning and immigrants learning English from non English speaking countries. There is an incorrect address in Flushing N.Y. where I also come from and know Sanford Avenue well - taking the bus from the city back to Flushing from work for eons. The article about China eyeing military bases in Africa is incorrect and we’ve always been in Africa also - Equatorial Guinea is incorrect this is very important so @visiontimes.com never quote alleged intel from fake sources. We’ve been in Ethiopia Angola Mozambique South Africa Kenya and elsewhere and it’s not debt trap diplomacy the U.S. Italy Ethiopia Eastern Europe Asia and most Arab Pashtun Farsi etc. countries have agreements that span decades which were wrecked by publications like these and the people behind them. Look at what happened in Sudan because people didn’t consult the right people like me lol not laughing at the suffering i.e. the biblical floods that have basically wiped Sudan off the map and the unapproved construction based on insane people and their diatribes of convincing misinformation. This is NOT Blend’s fault whatsoever - the publisher of what could be a great newspaper has to take responsibility and correct this information. Kids need to learn proper grammar and intel doesn’t leak information like this (especially all fake and incorrect that people are going to believe and would act upon). Already caused enough damage to the world. I paid $99.00 for a tank of gas/petrol at Quickcheck which I don’t mind because if everyone contributes a little extra we can solve this before it gets way out of control and we wind up like Venezuela. Otherwise I recommend all go to Blend and hope more shops will open up like in Florida state Port St. Lucie a nice honest way to boost the economy and provide jobs. Plus is super healthy...

My friend Ordered some stuff today, everything was fine no complaints about the food but she realized that she left her phone on top of the trash can where she picked up a flyer.I’m calling it but it’s turned off im looking on the “find my iPhone” app and the location was off, and the phone wasn’t online. She had called me 5 mins prior to her forgetting the phone. We rushed back in a panic with the expectation that the phone is gone and she had lost all hope basically telling me slow down because it’s off and it’s most likely stolen. Long story short she went in and she felt a very weird vibe as if they didn’t want her to come back to get her phone. Every worker in there had something different to say and all we’re looking at each other in confusion. I walk in because I notice she had been in there for a while and she’s walking out towards me phone is turnt back on location is back on her service is online. If the phone hadn’t been turnt off to begin with we wouldn’t have panicked and rushed back like that to find out that it’s in the back. We are very grateful to have gotten it back but it just seemed very odd that when she came back to ask for her phone they acted like she hadn’t been in there 5 mins prior.

EDIT** to Owner: Please, and thank you for your prompt response. I just don’t understand why the phone was off when we tried to locate it. I hope this experience does not happen to anyone because we were in panic to get back w the expectation that it’s gone, and when she walked in the vibe was off and the phone was still off. As she’s walking out the “find my iPhone “ alert was then going off her device was back online, but that was as soon as they handed her her phone back. Is that the orthodox way when you guys find phones ? You turn them off when found hoping that the owner of the phone has a hard time connecting the dots once we realize that it’s gone. Thank goodness we didn’t make any further stops. I hope that you investigate your employees and find out why the phone was turned off when it was found. Thanks again for your...