Tropical Smoothie Cafe — Restaurant in Waterloo

This place has good food, but HORRIBLE customer service!!!

We ordered through the app 2 smoothies and 1 chicken Caesar salad. My husband went inside to pick it up and when he got back to our car we realized they'd given us a wrap instead of a salad. He went back in and they told him that they were out of bowls, so they put the salad in the wrap which they said is the "same thing" ...they never apologized, they just said "It is what it is". I am Gluten Free, and my husband informed them that it DID matter because I'm gluten free, (They should've explained the situation with us when we picked up our food, not just sent us on our way with the wrong order and assuming it was okay!) They ended up putting my salad in a queesadilla box, but they just put the lettuce in the box and put all the toppings in separate little bowls so I had to make the salad myself. When my husband came back to the car I looked in and realized they had given the WRONG salad...the Thai salad not the Caesar. I went back in and they informed me that my husband had told them the wrong salad, they took ZERO ownership. My husband had given them the receipt that clearly showed our order, this was all their mistake. They ended up giving me the right salad, but it still was disassembled in little bowls and the salad was very messy in the thin quesadilla box.

Still can't believe they took ZERO ownership, no apologies, and in fact they seemed irritated at us for asking about it and seemed upset that we wouldn't just take the wrap...

The peanut paradise smoothie w/ whey protein is all I get. But it’s a great meal replacement for sure.

I have to share that when I’m waited on by the young staff in the drive through they nearly always try to have d me the debit card machine asking for a tip…. NO. This is WRONG and very unprofessional. #1. It’s a drive thru…. I drive up to the window and the staff stands there. And, if I drop that card terminal they try to stick out at me, who pays for that..? Not me…. #2. If you want a tip as wait staff join a typ restaurant where I’m happy to ALWAYS tip well for great service where you come to me and take care of our table throughout our time there enjoying the experience and food.

Tropical Smoothie is great, always friendly owner and management staff that are courteous and know me as a regular.

The mindset of young workers to get a tip for just existing at a job is just wrong. Appreciate them being there to serve the drive thru customers, but please understand some common sense...

Received food today thrown together so quickly and squishy soggy. And then have a pail smashed strawberry on the outside of a chicken pesto wrap. Not the flavor combination I want. I was already on the road before I noticed that heading towards cedar falls I tried to call them multiple times now in the last hour and can't get through. I think called corporate and the only thing they could say is yeah you have 24 hours you can just go back to the location, and they'll take care of it for you if you bring the receipt in the item. Well I didn't think I needed a receipt why waste the paper. Needless to say corporate's completely useless too...

Update...later in the night i was able to get though to them, and get back over to them, and they remade the wrap, without strawberry,...