Root 150

The first time I came here, the customer service was super shady.
I explicitly told the girl who was serving me that I just wanted greens & grain salad (the cheapest option at $ 6.50). When you add proteins (such as meats and seafood), it’ll be a pre-​tax total of $ 8.50. Well, gee, I didn’t realize that avocado counted as a protein, so I was really surprised by the total cost of my first order, and when I asked why, the girl said, «Because you have avocado.»
Shady and disorganized proteins. If you ask me, proteins should have their own explicit section away from the veggies, like how Pieology organizes their toppings. Even the newbie staff got confused among themselves over what was protein and what was not. One guy who seemed particularly amateur wasn’t even dressed in proper attire. He was dressed in a nice dress shirt, with not even an apron, and was confused which options belonged to the proteins and grain categories until one of his co-​workers clarified to him. WTF.
Also, they CONSTANTLY run out of certain things. They’re always running out of types of cheeses, nuts, seeds, etc. Packaging has changed too. They started out with serving salad in a compostable bowl. Now they serve it in a plastic box. Who the heck is running this place?
There are two reasons why this place gets 4 stars and why not any lower:
1) The wide variety of options for your own custom salad.
2) It’s really tasty!
I love getting spinach with the chimichurri (that green dressing), topped with quinoa, mushrooms, squash, onions, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, black beans, beets, and all the cheeses. This is definitely a good place to come get a huge bowl of salad that really fills you up for under $ 10. Just be aware of what counts as protein and what’s not to avoid shock when you pay for your salad.

Pleasantly surprised by the custom salads!
A basic greens/​grains salad is $ 6.50, and adding a protein brings the pre-​tax total to $ 8.50. Not cheap, but not super expensive either.
But it’s clear that the best part of Root 150 is definitely the number of options available for your custom salad, many of which are free with any salad purchase. Here were all the options when I went:
— Salad base: romaine lettuce or spring mix blend
— Base toppings (pick as many as you want): wild rice, quinoa, bell peppers, mushrooms, roasted squash, olives, cucumbers, red onions, orange
— Dry toppings (pick one): candied pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, toasted wontons, croutons
— More toppings (pick as many as you want): chickpeas, roasted sweet potato, black beans, beats
— Cheese (choose one): blue cheese, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese
— Protein ($ 2 extra for each): crumbled bacon, shrimp, chicken strips, fried chicken
— Extra toppings ($ 2 extra for each): avocado, boiled egg
— Dressing (choose one): balsamic, honey mustard, Italian, Caesar, chimichurri, sriracha peanut, orange miso sesame, carrot ginger
*Side note: Their name comes from the fact that their ingredients are all sourced from farms within a 150 mile radius from campus. Local food is always a plus!