Manda C.
Yelp
I'm giving it a 3 based on my needs and experience, but recognize that if I had a dietary restriction or allergy that this would probably have a greater value to me and would most likely be 4 stars.
I've never been all that interested in going to a Whole Foods but I did stop by a couple of weeks ago when I needed a to go meal for lunch and was in the area.
The store is very nice and has a wide variety of offerings including bulk foods, wine, a bar, a salad bar, olive bar and appetizer area as well as bakery, deli and all the normal offerings. If you are looking for organic, you will find it here.
I've never seen so many employees at a grocery store at 9am on a Tuesday. Though I rarely am at one at this time on a weekday due to my work schedule, I have been to a few. There were a ton of people there, but nobody spoke to me except at checkout (and that was the bare minimum necessary to complete the transaction).
Nobody greeted me or smiled or asked if I needed help finding anything and I know half a dozen of them saw me wandering around looking for the ready made meal area. It's not a huge deal, but I get attentive service at Kroger and Winco, so I noticed.
Something I don't typically see- they have digital price tags on their ice cream... which was $5.99. On the one hand- oh, fancy; on the other, are you going to raise the price by the time I get to the register? Lol.
They had a lot of unusual items, I don't often see mochi and macarons so easily accessible in a grocery store, so kudos for that. At the time I was there, they didn't have the salad bar or appetizers completely setup but there is huge amount of space for it and a lot of seating in the corner, so I think their lunch selection has to be larger than most places.
I was actually disappointed that I didn't get to see more of their offerings, I think they had the olive bar and four sides set up at the time. There were a huge amount of empty bins, so I am making the assumption that at some point during the day they are full of different options. If that's true then this and the bar and wine selection are probably the most notable ways they would outshine a Sprouts or Natural Grocers.
When I found the ready to go meals section, I was satisfied with the types of selection in the refrigerators. I ended up getting a chicken scaloppini from that section and then looked at a small bakery display near the front. There were bagels, cookies and croissants. Since I hadn't had breakfast, I grabbed a plain croissant which looked like a good size.
For my chicken scaloppini and croissant I paid $11.14. The croissant was cold and had an unpleasant, tough texture. Considering the time of day, I expected it to be from that morning, so I thought this was a bust. Might have been a fluke though.
I actually enjoyed the scaloppini for a late lunch that day and even had enough to share some with a colleague. The taste was fine, the chicken was cooked well, the pasta was good. Even the portion was good for a meal!
It's just that it wasn't worth nearly $8 when you compare it to what other stores are putting out. It was good... just not 'so much better than everyone else so I'll pay more' good.
In any case, this place is not designed for me, I'm not the one who finds this super appealing. I find it somewhat appealing... but the high prices and indifferent service don't have me anxious to return.
It's on my route, so I may stop in from time to time. After all, the layout is neat and the ready to go meal options can come in handy. If you are in need of organic items, you can stop in here and they do have a large selection.