Ever wonder how consumers feel about your franchise? Franchise Times editorial staffers check out three brands in a different genre each month, and report back in FT Undercover.
From left, Crisp & Green’s cleverly named bowls deliver on taste and Saladworks hits high notes for quality, while Nature’s Table doesn’t live up to its brand promise.
On a January lunch hour, I visited a Minneapolis Crisp & Green—along with seemingly everyone who lives or works downtown. Luckily, many Minneapolitans are tech savvy enough to order ahead. I took the old-fashioned route: ordering my Honey Spice & Everything Nice salad at the counter and sitting at an open table. The salad was delicious, with hot elements such as blackened chicken and Brussels sprouts, plus apples, parmesan, walnuts and honey mustard dressing. My only gripe was the challenge of looking a 20-something woman in the eye and ordering a bowl with such a silly name—which could easily be avoided if I ordered ahead online. The franchise offers grain bowls, too, including the rice-based “Ahh…Greek Out!” and veggie Korean-inspired “Seoul Bowl.” Cheeky branding for the win. I’m usually on the go, so most of the time I prefer an easy pickup experience versus dining in, and my fellow customers agreed. If I owned a Crisp & Green franchise, I’d want a smaller space with less seating to accommodate a modern lifestyle.
The upshot: Minneapolis-based Crisp & Green, which is expanding quickly in multiple states, is a great option for those looking for a healthy lunch downtown and I’ll definitely be back to one of its Twin Cities stores. —E.W.
A visit to a Boston area Saladworks brought endless choices—and caused a bit of momentary stress. With 16 signature salads and the option of creating your own from a long list of greens, grains and proteins, tough decisions abound. Play it safe and select the Smoky BBQ Crispy Chicken Salad? Opt for the more adventurous and try the Southwest Chipotle Ranch bowl? Separate visits meant trying both, and the salads ($11.49 each) earn a healthy thumbs up. The chipotle version was impressive, with grilled chicken, avocado, fire-roasted corn and bean medley, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, tortilla strips and chipotle ranch dressing. The ingredient variety and complementary flavors produced a standout meal. As for the crispy chicken salad, everything tasted fresh, although I wished the pieces of chicken were higher in flavor and more generous in quantity. Part of the WOWorks platform, which also includes Frutta Bowls, The Simple Greek and other health-focused franchises, Saladworks has about 100 units. Next time, I’ll order a sandwich. Or maybe a wrap. Or panini melt with soup. I’m already stressed about that decision.
The upshot: Saladworks offers plenty of meal choices, decent value and quality ingredients. —J.H.
Thank you, Pom Beach smoothie, for saving the experience at Nature’s Table. The fresh-blended concoction of blueberries, strawberries and pomegranate rescued my morning at an Orlando location of the 65-unit chain, touted on signage in the store as a new amenity for the corporate office development. Being the sole customer on a weekday morning didn’t inspire confidence, and finding out the store somehow was out of coffee didn’t help. Expecting a hearty—and hot—combination of scrambled eggs, cheese, potatoes, turkey sausage and salsa in the breakfast bowl, the lukewarm reality was a letdown. The dish amounted to a mess of breaded potatoes and shredded cheese, with bits of egg and sad sausage bites. The bowl did only cost $4.99, while the smoothie was $6.49, making the quality disparity easier to swallow. But for a brand that calls itself a pioneer in fresh, health-conscious dining, Nature’s Table has some work to do. The lone employee was cheerful, and the patio space meant an opportunity to enjoy a little Florida sunshine. A strong Wi-Fi signal didn’t hurt, either, but when this is what outshines the food, there’s a problem.
The upshot: Come for the smoothies, but be wary of the breakfast offerings. Next time I’ll give lunch a shot. —L.M.