Last Friday I got into a discussion with TeamSugar about salad bars. I was on my way back from the salad bar across the street, which has an assortment of raw and cooked options and charges by the pound, when I ran into her. She outlined her reasons for disliking them. "Aren't they unsanitary?" she asked. "They seem so dated." I told her that while they can seem unnecessarily expensive, I love the convenience and variety of them. How do you feel, dear reader?
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How Do You Feel About Salad Bars?
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I don't mind them. If I were out and unimpressed with the menu and I had the option of a salad bar, I might take it. But as far as going to a place just for a salad bar - well those days are few and far between.
1The only salad bar I find acceptable is at Jason's Deli. It's $7 a salad and they keep it full and clean.
2a new restaurant moved into town about a year ago and ever since, my aunt has been pushing it on me, telling me the salad bar is soooo great, and i'm so confused....i would never go to a restaurant for dinner because of the salad bar....but i do sometimes hit the salad bar across from my office for lunch...it's damn expensive though...i prefer a local place where you choose your salad ingredients and they mix it up for you....i always get the same amount of food and it's always the same price, but i can have a wide variety if i want
3Case-by-case basis. Some are kept well, and I'll nom from those, but other ones freak me out and bring out my inner Howard Hughes.
4It depends, I love them if they are fresh, if the owners are regularly monitering them for cleanliness, if there is a variety of vegetables and or salads to choose from. I will actually get up and Look at a salad bar before opting for it, because there are too many times that I said "salad bar" and went up there and was aghast at the state of the poor thing. These are a few of the No-No's when it comes to them
-if they only have iceburg lettuce, there should be at least two choices , maybe romaine, greenleaf, spinach.
5-if its messy, because that means no one has been looking after it and that means nothing has been "refreshed" and refilled
-If the croutons, sunflower seeds, bacon bits are BEYOND and BEHIND the dressings, what does that mean? it means GIANT SOGGY accoutrements in the dressings and there is nothing worse than pouring dressing on your nice salad and Plop! a drowned crouton from lord knows how long ago dies on top.
-If there are no beets, I have to have beets!
The only salad bar I've gone to in the last few years is Sweet Tomatoes and I have to admit that I LOVE that place. Salad and soup...two of my most favorite things to eat.
6How does "They're okay in a pinch but they're too expensive" make any sense?
7Salad bars creep me out - all I can think about are germs, germs and more germs!
8I think it depends on the salad bar you go to. Some are kind of gross and the food doesn't look fresh, but others do a good job at providing good food.
9They seem like breeding grounds for bacteria. Blech.
10I love the idea of a salad bar, but it has to be stocked with a nice variety of quality options, and of course, be very clean. To cut on expense, (the bar that I love charges by the pound)I will take stock of what I already have on hand and just round it out with salad bar ingredients. Very helpful when it comes to making sure that I use all of the veggies in the fridge before they turn.
11Ew, no way. I avoid them at all costs!!
12Love them. Sweet Tomatoes is especially good, too bad there isn't one in my town. They have the best sourdough bread! Plus the soups are amazing.
13I'm a little icked out by them because on a few occasions (at different ones) I've seen people sampling directly from the bins! Like they stick their hands in the cucumbers take a bite and put it back if they didn't like it! Gross.
14I've seen things happen at salad bars that have turned me off to them forever. Seriously, I'm not a fanatic, but, I won't let me children go to the salad bar either.
15living in NYC you learn VERY quickly which ones are 'safe' and which are not. it's hard sometimes to trust things like this since you can only imagine how many people are going in and out of there.
as for the expense of it all - it's really a lot more expensive to go to them than to buy veggies at home and bring in your own salad.
16Case-by-case basis. Some are kept well, and I'll nom from those, but other ones freak me out and bring out my inner Howard Hughes.
That's hilarious, not to mention pretty much how I feel!
17I like them for the most part. I like the fact that I can make my own salad with whatever I want on it. I can put whatever dressing on it that I want and there's usually a nice selection of veggies that I don't normally put on my salads at home.
18I don't eat at salad bars at restaurants, but I do like a well-stocked salad bar at the market. They're expensive, but I think buying all the veggies separately would cost just as much in the end, and since I'll be the only one eating it... it's less likely to be wasted if I just make a big two-day lunch salad.
19I don't usually do the salad bar in restaurants, in fact, I cant remember the last time I went to a restaurant that had one. But when I am getting lunch at work, sometimes I go out to salad bars for lunch, but usually only ones that I know are safe. As ilanac said there are some places in NYC that would make your skin crawl.
A nice alternative, albeit an expensive one, are the places like Salad Spinners, where they make your salad for you with whatever toppings you like and whatever dressing you chose a la Coldstone for those of you who are too creeped out to go for the do-it-yourself options.
20I'll eat a salad at restaurant occasionally but usually not at a salad bar. I do a walk by if it's clean enough I will. If it looks questionable I just skip it and eat something else. I'll grab a pre-made salad for work sometimes if I'm in a hurry. I prefer to make my own at home especially during summer.
21BLUEBELLKNOLL & LIMELINDSEY!! you totally took the words out of my mouth - sweet tomatoes!!!!
absolutely, hands-down BEST buffet (of any kind) if you ask me!
If anyone hasn't tried it.. see if there is one in your area..
Sweet Tomatoes OR Souplantation. YUMMMM
22the only salad bar i go to is the one at whole foods either after my workout or when i'm really in a pinch for a healthy lunch.
23I love salad bars. I go to one almost everyday for lunch. They have so many things to chose from. I can have a little bit of everything.
24i like them but they are pricey. and i once found a bug in my salad. eek.
25sweet tomatoes is my salad bar of choice! can't beat the freshness, or the fab soups (chili and tomato soup!) and the fresh baked muffins and breads. i eat there at least once a week.
26Overpriced and usually gross looking.
27Now and then when im in a rush i get one (3x a year maybe) and im always appaled by the price and quality!
28Why not save yourself tons of money and just buy your own veggies for a salad? Unless you are on vacation and the hotel has a fabulous and immaculate salad bad, then I avoid them.
29I love it for lunch (my cafeteria has one), and I love the one at Whole Foods. I don't eat dairy or meat on my salads. I know that salad bars probably unsanitary -- but, really, it's not like the all-you-can-eat bar at Golden Corral. **shudder** Salad bar patrons are typically pretty clean. As for why I don't buy my own veggies -- because I'm lazy and it's worth the money to not prepare myself.
30If only the stuff on most salad bars looked as fresh as the picture!
31the only salad bar i go to is schnucks once a month.it's expensive but the salad is always so good.
32Keep your own dressing in your fridge at work. That way you don"t pay $7 a pound for dressing.
33I don't trust a category food that the general public has complete access to. The idea of a Salad Bar is wonderful, the reality of a Bar is an horrid one. Giving the general public "free rein" is the reason I don't eatout till this day. An unmanaged Bar is disgusting, knowing the general public does not wash up before supper. I'm sure, if a black light was fanned over the Bar, it would look something of a Tween Rave - filled with neon glow without the glow sticks and colored stringies.
34Do you really want to eat the same food that some person with a cold has just sneezed all over? Yuck...
35There'll be so much bacteria in the air. Plus, people always taste the food using the scoop/spoon. Just not a nice thought for me.
Most "fast food" salads, either from a salad bar or pre-packed that I've come across are awful. I prefer to make my own. Then I know exactly what is in it and how fresh the ingredients are.
36Love 'em! They usually have a good variety and I can get exactly what I want and in just the right quantity. I do agree that you have to know which ones are safe and which aren't.
37Unsanitary. They gross me out.
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