Tropical Smoothie Cafe

In and out quick spot need a good smoothie this is the place lets not forget your protein adds !!! This place really got me into the smoothie mood after a good work out.

The staff at this location apparently don’t know how to run a freaking drive thru, it takes them 20 minutes to half an hour just to get a few cars through, absolutley ridiculous, then when you finally get up to the microphone to order, they ask you to wait even longer!

warning !!!
spoke to the lady manager late night shift she was so rude messed up my order and i got really sick the next day really bad not sure why she treated me this way. i do not recommend was sick for 2 weeks!

I feel bad for the owner because the employees turn the open signs off and lock the doors nearly 40 minutes too early. They also asked us to leave 20 minutes before closing. No exaggeration in my times. I hope the owner sees this. Date of visit was 12÷1÷15 09:10 pm

The old lady works on counter has bad attitude, looks like she wasn’t happy that we were there making her work, she corrected us so many times and I can’t say it was a good experience :(

Food was good. Smoothies do contain ice, but they are large. Stains on the ceiling and 6 out of 16 ceiling lights not working.

After writing to the company I received a nice email from the manager Tami apologizing. She even replaced our smoothies. So we will continue to come here. It’s a shame her staff didn’t handle the customer service the first time around. Our smoothed were awesome this time

Sometimes all a girl needs on a hot summer day is a thick fruity smoothie. I got seriously spoiled by Joy Yee Noodles in Chicago where they converted whole bananas, quarts of strawberries, and pineapples into luxe smoothies scared by the odd spritz of yogurt or tea as a base. I wanted Michigan to offer a similarly thick and rapturous experience. Nothing against thin smoothies, but sometimes I want to suck a pureed orchard with the consistency of molten concrete through a straw.
Tropical Smoothie Café gets some popular reviews from friends, so off I went in search of the store. It’s in a weird corner location where access is blocked by a tiny barbershop, so coming off Main Street requires careful attention not to end up in a squishy parking lot unconnected to the shop. The drive through has an extremely tight turn in there, too, so avoid scratching up your car’s paint job if you choose to take that route.
I also have this habit of mistaking the Grand Traverse Pie Company location on Maple with the Tropical Smoothie Café, much like I swear Peter Gabriel moonlights as Phil Collins. Don’t ask why. My mind has simply made that parallel. So too smoothies and pie, apparently.
As I rolled up, the menu has the ubiquitous list of specialty smoothies, another panel for additions, and yet another for seasonal smoothies. For a newcomer this can be an overwhelming experience and unless you know what you want, expect to spend a few minutes parsing through kale and fruit, the standard orange and banana plus berries, and half a dozen other options. Fortunately staff are quite patient when it’s slow, as when I arrived. Otherwise a pro tip: go inside to get a good idea of what is what. Otherwise I felt rather pressured with a car behind me and the cashier asking me ‘Are you ready yet?’ about 20 seconds after I pulled up and asked for a moment to read their seasonal choices.
I ended up going with a green tea based smoothie and it came out quite well, thick and fairly flavourful. Less ice gets used rather than more, a definite plus. The consistency was nice and didn’t melt out immediately, a curse of some other popular smoothie places. On the other hand, this is a sometimes treat for me at around $ 5 for a 16 oz option, if memory serves, and it gets only more expensive if you start adding various powders, extra fruit or boosters. Pretty typical for the smoothie set. Consider that smoothies aren’t much different calorically from sandwiches or raw fruit and yoghurt, and you gain little from a health vantage to justify that cost.
Staff showed some of the same apathy reported by other Unilocalers. They were not exactly quick about delivering on the smoothie, asking me to park up at a spot near the door where I waited long enough to read two or three news articles, brush my hair, and wonder if someone else got my green tea confection. Nope, it just turned out to be that pokey. Definitely this is the place for a lazy morning and not your morning rush hour stop.

I’ve had a gift card I’ve tried to use 2x since June 12. First time I was told the card reader wasn’t working. Next time, in July, told the system needed updating. Called weeks later, before I went only to be told an update still needed and they’d buy back the card. Emailed corporate last week and received No response. Very disappointing and I feel the gift card issue should have been addressed by now (August 2).

2.5 stars. Smoothies are pretty good, some better than others. Not fully consistent though, the same smoothie can be more or less watered down depending on the day. I do have a big gripe about their pricing. Got a smoothie with an add-​in and a veggie hummus wrap, the total was $ 15! While the smoothie is quite large, the wrap was not. It was tasty, but for that price I could have twice as much food and be served, not wait at a drive thru and eat in my car. Disappointed because I would love to go there more to have a healthier lunch, but cannot justify the cost.

Consistently slow location… always! Be prepared to wait 20 min in the drive thru for a smoothie… probably longer if you order food. Crazy thing is there’s usually no other cars there! The smoothies used to be delicious but they slowly have started tasting weird and now have a strange after taste to them. The Sunrise SunsetSmoothie I got today had such a funky taste I only took a few sips. I’m thinking maybe they’ve changed their ingredients because this used to be my go to smoothie. Or maybe it’s just this location because it used to be very tasty at their location on the east side.

I started coming here a few months ago and it quickly became my lunch spot at least once or twice a week. I’ve learned that the drive through usually takes at least 10 – 15 minutes but it’s okay if you’re willing to wait.
Unfortunately I had an awful experience here a few weeks ago. I ordered a smoothie and a sandwich. When I got back to my desk at work to eat my lunch I discovered that they gave me someone’s half-​eaten sandwich. There was only one half of it left and there was a big bite taken out of it with the crust mostly picked off. I know that this was obviously a mistake, and not intentional, but it still sucks when you pay $ 12 for a meal and you get someone’s garbage (or leftovers at best).
I do really love their food and smoothies, but I’m not sure if I can go back. That pretty much ruined it for me.

Overall, this is a good restaurant. Certainly a healthier option than some. We had one bad set of smoothies that just didn’t taste right, but that was one time. Thus, the four star review. Other than that, the food is usually good, as are the smoothies. I like the option of having fruit as a side, rather than chips. The girl who took our orders knew what she was doing and took pride in her work.
Check this place out. Instead of eating as a normal fast food restaurant, try this healthier option.

Service– terribly slow and they really need to hire in some new help
Smoothie– awful! Most tasteless smoothie I’ve ever had. First time around it had no whey which I ordered. Second time it still tasted like a watered down blueberry. Learn how to make a smoothie before you serve it. Wayyyyyyy too much ice!

Was weary to try this place at first because of the so-​so Unilocal reviews but been here twice since. Smoothies are amazing, food is surprisingly good (had the hummus veggie wrap) and the staff is super friendly.

I went through the drive through around 3pm and I was surprised how busy this place was.
I did have to wait about 15 minutes for my fish and steak tacos. It’s a new thing they have.
I was impressed with how good this was. I will have to go back and order some more because it is a great tasting experience.
I will recommend this place for anyone else who wants to try a great taco.

Amazing staff and amazing smithies! Especially when you’re sick! Their «boost» smoothie is ace! Definitely going to come here a lot more!

After a fifteen minute wait, the smoothie ended up tasting like watered down puréed ice. I can’t believe I just wasted $ 10 on this piece of shit.

I love Tropical Smoothie Café! I’m from Arizona, and finding a good (healthy) smoothie joint is tough, out here. I am obsessed with this establishment!
That being said, I gave THIS location one star because of the employee that greeted me. I will not play the name game though.
I walked in, excited because I was craving a turkey wrap and a Health Nut smoothie (that I add peanut-​butter and strawberries to, it’s like a PB&J). I saw the young woman and I smiled and asked «Hi, how are you?» After she said «Hello». She didn’t answer, instead she just looked at her POS system and continued to ask what I’d like.
I was just a little upset that she A: didn’t care to ask how I was (even when I asked her how she was) B: Completely ignored me when I was being polite by asking how she was doing. And C: didn’t even smile. Not even once.
I work in the restaurant industry, I understand that there are times you aren’t having a good day because of personal issues and you just don’t want to be there (trust me, I get it), however, when you’re working you shouldn’t let it show. «Don’t wear your heart on your sleeve». Guests come in to order food and enjoy their time.
So when I went in there, I was hoping to be greeted with a smile (I could care less if it was fake, I fake my smiles when I have to, as well). Or at least asked «I’m well, how are you?»…whether you care or not.
That’s all. Will I come back to this location? Eh, if it’s on my way, but that’s about it. But will I stop going to TSC for good because of it? God no!

I love smoothies. I have basically been sad and depressed for YEARS due to the fact that Michigan does not have a Jamba Juice. What does Jamba Juice have against Michigan!!! Really!!!
I was excited when this place opened. YAY smoothies. Sadly I am just not impressed. The smoothies are ok. They have this kale/​spinach/​tropical fruit thing that I think is pretty delish but the smoothies always taste kind of watered down here.
Also, the employees are incredibly rude. Every single time I have come in I have received a side of attitute with my order. I don’t know why they are so unhappy but I don’t think I have ever seen a smiling face in here.
So yeah… its pretty meh for me. It fills my smoothie craving when I have one but otherwise I head to beyond juice in Birmingham. At least there I can get a smoothie with a smile.