Tropical Smoothie Cafe

This is my favorite smoothie spot in Richmond. Prime location next to campus, and they employ students which is a plus. The smoothies are great. As far as everything else that would make it a café (i.e. Food, atmosphere, wifi, seating), it is average. They have great promotional offers and they don’t spam you with too many e-​mails/​texts to get them. I approve.

SLOOOOOOWWWWWWWW Service. With an Attitude.
Took 5 minutes, with me being the only person in line, to even place my order, and another 15 to get a smooth and a half sandwich.
There was 2 people besides me there… and they had gotten their food already.
And the very dirty looking cashier, was being rude.

This is probably the place I’ve eaten out most in the last 6 months. «Fast food» that feels a little more healthy and very good. My main order is a half sandwich and smoothie for $ 6-​something. If I go with the BF sometimes we’ll get a sandwich meal and add a smoothie for an affordable meal.
My favorite sandwich is the cranberry walnut chicken salad. A whole sandwich is really filling. I think the chicken salad is probably the best around if you like chunky chicken and a bit of sweetness from the cranberry (my other favorite chicken salad is from Hill Café). I’ve tried a bunch of the smoothies and they all tend to be good. If you are watching calories check out the calorie chart at the cash register because there are a big range (some higher than expected).
Parking isn’t too bad at certain times on Broad St, but there is also a parking lot behind the shops.
Things are made to order so if there is a line it can take a few minutes.

Always like this Tropical Smoothie for their great personalities and amicable customer service.
This location is extra cool for its promotions and deals that they offer during different seasons other than the typical Tropical Smoothie 50% from open to 10 am.
Only thing that sucks is the parking, but if you are a VCU student this qould be a great and healthy place to stop between classes and have a refreshing and parental approved beverage! Even though the smoothies are generally «expensive» probably for a college student, I’m sure parents won’t mind if that’s the worst thing that their child spends money on. OK… the mommy in me is coming out… anyhoo…this is one of my favorite Tropical Smoothie Café locations other than the one off of S Laburnum Ave.

Great customer service.

As far as Tropical Smoothies go, I have noticed that no franchise is created equal. I have yet to find another T.S. as good as this one. The food is great (I’ve had some wraps at other stores that have been dripping with grease and undercooked… blech), and the smoothies are bangin.
Just go here, these guys are the best of the best… they’ll ruin any other Tropical Smoothie for you, though.

I’m a huge fan of Tropical Smoothie. However, this location is not the best. The line is always out the door, and when the line is long I just skip it altogether.
I was lucky enough to stop in the other day and find that I was the only customer, yay! That means fast smoothie, right? No, actually, that’s not what it meant at all. First, I waited for 5 minutes at the register for someone to acknowledge me. How frustrating to see employees glancing at me from the kitchen, but not bothering to even give me so much as a «someone will be right with you». After ordering, I waited 10 – 15 minutes for them to make my smoothie during a time that did not seem particularly busy for them. I watched one of the employees puttering around in the back until he finally got around to starting my smoothie, which took about 30 seconds to make once he started it. What was he doing… flying to India to pick the mangoes himself? Very annoying. After over 5 minutes of watching him do seven thousand other things than make my smoothie, I almost said something. I have been to other locations where the service is superior. I’ve gotten faster service on a day when the line is out the door.
That being said, the product they put out rocks. I am health-​conscious, and I always get the Hawaiian Breeze smoothie with a multi-​vitamin supplement as it is very low-​cal. Most of their huge smoothies are around $ 4, and extra for each supplement. I have never had a bad experience with the food, although I always just get the hummus veggie sandwich (which is delicious), so I cannot comment on other dishes. They have a wide selection, so anyone can find something that pleases them.
This is the only location that is within walking/​biking distance for me, so I’m pretty much stuck with them as far as service goes. I will return often though for the delicious smoothies and sandwiches.

My office ordered from here for lunch, and let me say, it was DELICIOUS. I got a cranberry walnut chicken salad, which came in a pretty large bowl with this tangy, raspberry-​like dressing on the side. The chicken salad, first of all, glopped on top of the greens, had generous chunks of chicken and raisins, and was sooooooooo goooooooood. I wished there was more. And usually, I find salad dressing to overwhelm the field greens, but theirs was just right. My only complaint would be that they chop the romaine too small, I was sort of scooping instead of spearing towards the end.
I also got a Very Berry Green Tea smoothie (contains acai berries, strawberries, blueberries, and matcha), which they give to you in a gigantic cup… definitely lasted me for the rest of the work day. The consistency is more like juice, I would have liked a «smoothier» smoothie. But it was terrific nevertheless.
I loved the food because it was not only lip-​smackingly yummy, but it was light and healthy (but most importantly, FILLING) at the same time. No 2:30 sugar crash here! :)