While the owners of this awkwardly named eatery probably had high ideals opening a raw foods cafe and boutique on Main Street in Santa Monica, they have consistently missed the mark on service. Inexcusably slow service, poor attitude of staff and often totally clueless staff has been the norm. I have been here over a dozen times since they opened a few years ago and have seen them change their menu and layout several times, in an apparent attempt to gain more customers, who knows, but the staff working here act as if they don't really need a regular clientele to survive. Recently a staffer claimed they needed 10-15 minutes to prepare a simple smoothie beverage to go, claiming 'it's not fast food here'. I mentioned to her that I've prepared the drinks myself and its really just a matter of scoop, scoop, scoop (dry ingredients) then pour the pre-made nut milk and maybe a bit of fresh fruit in to the blender, press blend, wait 40 seconds, and you're done! She had no response to this.
While the raw foods movement is important and growing, I'm surprised no one has really taken the ball and run with it in the way say, Urth cafe has done with healthy organic cooked food. The market is ripe for a smart entrepreneur to build a raw foods restaurant brand that combines Service with a quality Raw foods menu. Someone needs to give these small sloppy places a run for their money!
Pros: location, fresh raw food
Cons: staff attitude, poor service
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