Bloomingfoods – Elm Heights

I was so pleased with this new (ish) location of an old favorite in Bloomington. This location is, to my thinking, more café than market but one can still do shopping here. I really like the open plan and upstairs seating. What a super place to hang out awhile.

I can’t give a truly accurate review because I didn’t quite walk through every aisle nor did I go there to grocery shop. I came for the coffee shop upstairs (which is currently closed for renovations).
However, I did do one quick walk through when I was trying to find the stairs. I like the simple, open concept. It’s not very big but what I saw was clean and well organized. We obviously don’t have a Bloomingfoods back where I live, but it is somewhat comparable to Whole Foods or Central Market, though smaller. I did go to another Bloomingfoods while here, and this one seems smaller in general. The employees here seemed pretty nice and helpful though.
When I was done with work, I was wondering about dinner and wasn’t too excited to try out another eatery only to find out I was stuck with a basic salad with no dressing so I decided to tour the prepared foods section downstairs.
I love how they list out all the ingredients, which was how I found out I couldn’t have any of their hot foods or even the ones by the sandwich counter. :(So I browsed through the prepared foods in the refrigerator and found out that some were discounted! After I went through the ingredients list of some of the more promising items, I ended up purchasing a container of the Cranberry Pecan Quinoa Salad and the Brussels Sprouts. I imagine they were discounted because they were «old» and today was the last day to sell them by. They still tasted pretty decent! The quinoa was on the hard side, but it was still good. I loved the Brussels Sprouts even though they were on the softer side (I guess they didn’t roast them, which is my favorite way to prepare them).
In the end, pretty happy with my light dinner. Perhaps if I run out of more meal ideas, I may drop by again to see if there’s anything else I can have.

This is one of the better Bloomingfoods locations around town, small market style, including a meat and fish counter that the other ones lack. Being a small store, however, means that they have a much more limited selection. The produce isn’t usually quite as fresh as the one on 3^rd, maybe just less turnover.
I am however, disappointed with some of the recent changes they’ve made. I really like coming and working in the café area. They have instituted 1-​hour parking restrictions on all spots, including those in their own lot with a very strict policy of towing. This does not allow you to come and work here, or even meet for a long leisurely lunch, and there is absolutely ZERO parking anywhere close by without this strict time restriction. Second, they have downgraded their internet — constantly dropping the connection so you can re-​connect as a «guest» with an annoying popup. My dropbox will not sync while on this connection because it is so poor/​unsecure therefore it makes it difficult to gain access to files.
Finally, while temporary — the Coffee shop is CLOSED for the summer (2015)! I know they lost their great coffee bar manager recently, but that shouldn’t mean that the entire thing should close! So as I move away from Bloomington, Elm Heights has now left me disappointed.

Ohhhh Bloomingfoods. After living in Indiana for less than 2 year, we have moved away and can honestly say one of the ONLY things we miss about Btown is Bloomingfoods. This location was my favorite. The staff was BEYOND friendly and they all knew my and my son’s name. The selection of produce was great (they brought artichokes in because I asked them to about 2 weeks after they opened) and the meat and cheese selection was great too. The only thing that I wish they had at this location was my favorite Bacon… the kind Feast uses (which, consequently, is the only other part of Bloomington I miss)…I think it’s Fischer Farms? Anyways, I always wanted it. Cheese section is good too
The sandwich bar is always a good choice and every sandwich I’ve had has been fresh. The food bar was never really astonishing to me, but when has ANYONE EVER said that their best meal came off of a cafeteria style food bar… no one ever. But the sandwich and food to order was always solid.
And the COFFEE BAR!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. I am an asshole when it comes to good coffee and my expectations are always tough to meet. Bfoods Coffee Bar made me smile every time. It’s a great place to study or hang out (never mind the 1 or 2 sorority girls on her phone, yelling at her mom for not giving her enough money or Co signing her loan fast enough), the vibe is good, minus that girl.
The outdoor seating is really nice and the whole place is beautifully designed with nice architecture and a shining star of Bloomington.
I will miss you Bloomingfoods of Elm Heights with your kind hearted staff and your beautifully laid out tasty food.

I have been a co-​op member since 1999. Being an Elm Heights resident, I was thrilled when the news was announced regarding the new store. Sadly, since it has opened, every single visit has been plagued with MAJOR PROBLEMS, mostly with the staff. While I hate to generalize, the staff on the whole are rude and generally «slack.» I was a Bloomingfoods employee myself for over year, and I am shocked by the way that the staff treat the customers. The African American gentleman in the deli is a prime case in point (and I am black myself so please do not twist my point.) I really do not appreciate an employee behind the counter rolling his eyes at me because the store is closing in 20 minutes — just sayin. Although there seem to be literally dozens of staff milling about the store, I have never been checked out from a register in less than 10 minutes. I just now left the store after standing in line with five customers and only one cashier. I have been a loyal customer and member owner for well over a decade and I spent thousands of dollars per year at their stores. I know it takes time to get a new business up and running but I fear Elm Heights location is in need of serious intervention. I found myself on more than one occasion driving all the way out to the Third Street location rather than walking one block to the Elm Heights simply to avoid the bad service and bitter staff. I dread going in there, which is a true shame. I do hope the serious issues can be tended to, I have had conversations with several friends who feel the same. What could have been the best thing to happen to Elm Heights in a long time is rapidly becoming the worst.

This newest Bloomingfoods location is very attractive. The atmosphere is quiet and the ambience is very comfortable. Selections and layout are good. It’s probably the most attractive store they have in Bloomington but the East side location still has better selections.

Bloomingfoods, you get a demerit of one additional star because there’s been no improvement in the problem I wrote about in my earlier review about 6 weeks ago. I’m in the store at 8:45 this evening (an hour and 15 minutes before closing). The fresh meat case is darkened, with everything covered up in green paper.
Why oh why would it be so difficult to post a sign that says «SORRY, THE MEAT COUNTER CLOSES AT … » What? 7? 8? Whenever they feel like it?
This seems to me symptomatic of an amateurishness and careless attitude toward customer service (I’ve had a few other frustrations with Bloomingfoods as well) that make me wish a Trader Joe’s would come to town and shake these stores out of their monopolistic complacency.

Besides supporting a member owned non corporation who seriously cares about its community Bloomingfoods offers healthy choices at reasonable prices. This particular store is very conveniently located. Probably best if you lived in the area. The parking is a little sparse but usually you can find a place. Inside is spacious and most things you would need are available including a lot of local products.
Upstairs they have a very nice spacious coffee bar area that overlooks the store down below. Everything is new and tastefully done.
One of the things I love about Bloomingfoods is they really try to live up to their values. One of the things they do is have an active composting program in which very little food scraps go to waste. They also are avid recyclers and encourage bulk buying and bringing your own bags, though they have whatever you need if you forgot yours or its not convenient at the time.
Basically they are an all around good organization to support and I’m proud to be a member which brings extra benefits like discounts that more than pays for itself in a short amount of time.

Love the coffee bar on the second floor! Wonderful edition to the neighborhood!

Love this place! I sort of moved in to the Coffee Bar on the 2^nd level and am not even paying rent! Woohoo!
The hot food bar here is excellent even though it seems to be the same items offered at other Bloomingfoods locations. The quality is excellent though and that’s what counts. However, unlike the other locations, there is really comfortable seating both downstairs and upstairs in order to eat your food. I also noticed that the sandwich menu is different here than at other locations as well. Cool! I had the Ruebentino off the sandwich menu and really enjoyed it.
I’ve always had very friendly customer service here and the lines are usually very short in the check out lines (at least on the weekdays).
The entire building has a very clean and modern feel to it and the shopping aisles are very organized.
The only caveat to coming here is that there is limited parking in the unmetered row out front and it’s only good for one hour Mon-​Fri 8am-​5pm. If you plan to stay awhile lounging upstairs, I would park farther away and walk or use an alternative form of transportation to get here.

Great job on the newest Bloomingfoods location! We are so happy this has come to our neighborhood. A truly great example of what a small neighborhood grocery should be. Complete with a deli, coffee bar, and hot/​salad food bar!
Other Details: 1) Parking — located in off-​set area from the street and the east half of the parking lot, lots of bike parking, handicap parking available. 2) Accessibility — flat entry and wheelchair accessible, the upstairs coffee shop has only stairs (and a lot of them) to it but there is still downstairs outdoor seating and also indoor bar height and 2 – 4 top regular tables. 3) Major Credit Cards Accepted
Room For Improvement: not a lot is needed, maybe some greater product diversity (16 kinds of kefir but no GoodBelly)
What they Do So Right: 1) Ready to Eat Food — from produce to the hot/​salad bar to the deli counter, there are great options for breakfast, lunch, or dinner 2) Event Food — perfect spot to pick up wine and snacks for a picnic or to grab some nice olives or cheese for an ad hoc dinner party 3) Hours — when the old grocery that was in the same location was here, they closed at 7pm, and I can’t tell you how many times I needed something to finish up dinner (like butter or whatever) at 7:01, thankfully B-​foods has nice long hours to accommodate those of us who just need to grab something quick. 4) Coffee Bar — this is a great space for a casual meeting, to do a little work, or to catch up with a friend!