When Eddie Met Salad

I don't know what has happened to this place. I used to stop by once or twice a month to get their Santa Fe Chicken Wrap. The wrap is still as delicious as it ever was, but the service has just tanked lately.

1.) THE EMPLOYEES: In the past, the employees were the same every time I went in. There was plenty of staff, all of which wore uniforms, who quickly took and processed my order. And there was always a food person and a register person, to speed things up. These days, literally NONE of the faces I used to recognize are there anymore. In fact, the faces don't even stay the same from visit to visit. And the strangers behind the counter vary from wearing full uniform, to just wearing a When Eddie Met Salad visor, to not wearing anything that identifies them as a WEMS employee. There is frequently only one or two people working behind the counter. They take their sweet time, conversing about all manner of topics, even when other people are waiting. Counting the time it takes to build my wrap, then take off the sanitary gloves and ring me up, the next person in line is waiting 5+ minutes just to order! I've watched people walk out many a time after waiting too long. There was even an older gentleman who started working there awhile back. I had JUST heard a male employee instruct him to do something, and then a woman employee verbally berated him in earshot of everyone in the store for doing the thing he was just told to do. Very unprofessional.

2.) For at LEAST the last 10 visits, every single time I'm there, two or more of the soda choices are "Out of Order", meaning somebody doesn't know how to do the ordering right.

3.) They used to have a set selection of chips, fairly similar to the line-up you would see at Subway. But recently, they will have a selection of LAYS chips one week, and the next week the entire selection is switched to these disgusting Veggie Chips. And there was even one day when the only chips they had were tortilla chips in unmarked white paper bags with grease stains showing through all of them. YUCK!

4.) Even though the amount of clientele has dropped off significantly, the tables are regularly dirty and there are piles of trays and baskets. Except for last time when they decided to forego the basket and tray, so I had to use the wrapper as a "plate".

I've wanted to try When Eddie Met Salad for a long time and finally made myself go. It was a great decision and I wish I'd done it sooner! The restaurant was quiet and a TV played softly in the background and it was a very peaceful salad experience.

For starters, I wanted to try one of their specialty classic salads. I was debating whether to go for the buffalo chicken or the California roll salad. I opted for the California roll salad as sushi always sounds great and I was reasonably pleased with my decision. The salad consisted of romaine lettuce, crab pieces, cucumber, avocado slices, wasabi peas, and either avocado ranch or wasabi dressing. I liked the salad, but I could have done without so much wasabi flavor as it became a little overwhelming at times. The combination of everything else worked great, though. Salads come in two sizes, either a small for $6.99 or a regular for $7.99. I ordered the regular and it was a good amount. If you're not incredibly hungry, I'd probably stay with the small. When Eddie Met Salad also offers wraps, soups, sides, and desserts. You can also create your own salad with ingredients and dressing.

I really want to like When Eddie Met Salad because they're the only chopped salad place in town, but the service is simply awful. I've gone back twice now, and they are severely understaffed. I went the first time at a lunch rush and experienced insanely slow service, but a decent salad (tuna-garbanzo). Okay, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. I went back a few weeks later around 1:30, well past the lunch rush (I was one of two people in there) and the service was just as slow. However, the salad was good- chicken ensalata.

If you're okay with waiting much longer than you should for an average tasting but good sized salad, go ahead. All I know is I'm not headed back any time soon.