Ulfwald's Resturant Review: "Sweet Tomatos"

[Ulfwald]

The wife and I went to Sweet Tomatos today for lunch. Basically it is an "All you care to eat" salad bar, and a very expensive one at that. $25.00 for 2 adults and a child under 2 years old. Way more than than the meal was worth.

We arrived at 11:00 am, early lunch. The lettuce on the bar was brown around the edges, the dressings were not labled properly, as well as very watered down.

Most of the vegetables were fresh, but some looked like they were left out of the crisper overnight.


The counter persone was very polite, and friendly. My 18 month old son flirted with her (he loves blondes). The waitstaff was very courteous, but we still had to get up and go get our own drink refills.

They charge you for 2 oz of chicken, which looked, and tasted, just like those Louis Rich ready to eat chicken selections you buy at the grocery store.

A bag of 12 chocolate chip cookies the size of Famous Amos cookies cost over $1.50.

Summary:

I could go to Golden Corral just 2 minutes down the road, get fresher food, have my drinks brought to me, and no extra charge for any dessert I wanted. The meal at Golden Corral would have cost me about $10.00 less than what I spent at Sweet Tomatos. I will not be going back there for lunch, or dinner again.

 

[minendo]

$25 for all you can eat salad is terrible. Hell, but two heads of lettuce, some vegetables, and a pound of chicken and you could feed all three of you for less than $10.

 

[trmiv]

Man, they must have gone downhill. There is one near me that I haven't been to in awhile, but it was good when I went.

 

[Ns1]

sounds like a souplantation

 

[BigSmooth]

Sweet Tomatoes constantly issues coupons which makes the price a little more bearable (I think it's usually $5.49 for lunch and $6.79 for dinner or something). Still seems like kind of a ripoff since most of their items are very low-cost. There's hardly any meat to be found except in soup/chili and occasionally one of the pastas.

Buffet-style places are always expensive, though.

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis
sounds like a souplantation

It's the exact same restaurant, they just use a different name in some areas.

 

[OutHouse]

there is one near my office, have been wanting to give it a try but for 12 bucks a person?? i dont think so.

 

[CPA]

I like it. They make a pretty hardy chicken noodle soup. But generally I will go to Souper Salad, if I'm in the mood for that kind of food.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Citrix
there is one near my office, have been wanting to give it a try but for 12 bucks a person?? i dont think so.

$12/person?! When I was in FL a few years ago it was like $6!

 

[Ulfwald]

Exactly.

Here is a run down of the ticket:

Child Free.......00.00
Sft Drk..............1.49
Sft Drk..............1.49
Lunch...............7.39
Lunch...............7.39
Chkin cup.........1.25
Chkin cup.........1.25
Cookies............1.69
Milk...................1.49 (pint size)
Tax...................1.17

Total...............24.61


I can get all that and more from Golden Corral for about half of that.

 

[LordSnailz]

The place is not as bad as you make it sound ... yes the price is high but the food there is good. Maybe it varies between restaurants but the salads were fresh and the the soups are to die for ... is worth the price? One in a blue moon after a good workout it's a nice place to hang out.

 

[Ulfwald]

Well, it is a well kept place, the bathrooms are spotless, but it is way too expensive, and to have brown lettuce on the bar when they claim to be fresh........


First impressions go along way.

 

[Vic]

Whenever I need my salad fix, I go to Sweet Tomatoes.
The secret is to use their coupons (check your Sunday paper) and not order the extras (I don't even order soda and drink water instead). That brings the lunch price down to about $5 per person, a great price IMO for an generally excellent all-you-can-eat salad and soup buffet.
I think there was something wrong at the store you went to, Ulfwald, as the quality is always very good at the 2 near my house.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Ulfwald
Exactly.

Here is a run down of the ticket:

Child Free.......00.00
Sft Drk..............1.49
Sft Drk..............1.49
Lunch...............7.39
Lunch...............7.39
Chkin cup.........1.25
Chkin cup.........1.25
Cookies............1.69
Milk...................1.49 (pint size)
Tax...................1.17

Total...............24.61


I can get all that and more from Golden Corral for about half of that.

If you skip the extras it's not bad. $7.39 is comparable to what you would pay at the Chinese Buffet or Saladworks cafe...

 

[Electric Amish]

The one here is not bad.

 

[mandala]

The quality at the Sweet Tomatos I have been to has been excellent and I don't think I ever get any extras (except maybe a soft drink). And yes, do watch for their coupons (they come out constantly).

 

[Jhill]

So if you want chicken on your salad you have to pay extra?

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: Jhill
So if you want chicken on your salad you have to pay extra?

Yes, unless you're willing to fish it out of the chicken noodle soup.
Pretty much all of the other salad toppings are included, it's just the chicken that you have to pay for.

 

[Ulfwald]

I can get the same quality, if not better, at any of the "hot bar" resturants (Golden Corral, Ryan's, etc.) I can get all the toppings I want at no extra charge. Plus, I can get a full meal, as in soups, meats, hot bar, at no extra cost. Plus a whole lot more choice in deserts.

 

[Saulbadguy]

We have a Souper Salad here.