Taste

Taste’s omelet bar is a great deal. $ 4 for a 4 topping omelet. Can’t stop eating these. Going to check out the lunch seen soon.

When Taste opened it was touted as something unusual & had a special relationship with Johnson & Wales. Originally they had a good varying around of unusual specials. Unfortunately it has become more of a routine spot. However, I do love the oatmeal bar for breakfast. There is regular oatmeal & a special option & toppings you put on yourself to get it just right. & oatmeal price is for this is actually cheaper than the instant paper cup oatmeal I had been making at work!

I go here a lot of the time for lunch. If you work in Corporate Center, it is so convenient. The selection is pretty varied. You walk into an area that has multiple lines, for you to get different types of food. Grab your food, then there is seating on that floor, upstairs, and outside upstairs. They have several types of pre-​pared sandwichs. They heat up, and add toppings. They usually have a hot lunch special. They have a grill for burgers, etc. They have a killer salad bar. They usually have another food bar, which will be themed Indian, or other such. And they have a soup bar. I normally eat lite for lunch and go for the soup, which is always tasty. Love the clam chowder when they have that. They also serve Starbucks coffee and usually have some nice looking cup cakes, though I’ve never tried them. In the mornings, they have a breakfast, bacon, eggs, etc,., or they will cook up a very good omelet or Egg sandwich. Also a quick place to get into and out of.

I had the chicken sandwich it was SO bland, fries were barely warm. My coworkers said they tried the soup and its good, maybe I’ll give it a shot later on, but having so much around to chose from it might take a while.

I sent the following feed back to both Jeffrey Wingate and Thomas Smead at the Compass group. They were both non-​responsive…
Every morning for about the past 2.5 yrs, I have purchased breakfast here. Overall, everyone is nice, helpful and courteous. The place is always clean and orderly and the food presentation is very pleasing. Over time, the staff there has changed quite a bit. There has also been changes in the flow of how orders are taken and prepared. This has helped tremendously in getting in and out more efficiently. I have always raved to colleagues about Taste to the point that my team purchased me a $ 50 gift card as a gift. For the most part, I have been very pleased with the service.
There is a worker named Hector that assists with the sandwich prep every morning. He has done so for the whole time I have patronized the establishment. From what I have observed, his primary job is to work the sandwich station and to help with any overflow of customers. Initially, it was his job to take the orders of those wanting hot cereals in the morning. This has now moved to a self serve station. From the beginning, I CONSISTENTLY greeted him each morning with a please and thank you. He never once replied, smiled or returned the gesture.
Early on, I began to notice how he would take his time to assist me. I would approach and he would continue prepping to only stop once another person walked up behind me. I mentioned this to the current manager sometime back and there was never any real change in his demeanor. I STILL continued with the same «Can I please have a small oatmeal, thank you» day, after day.
Recently, I have come in and his job is to now assist the ala carte customers (I assume) since I have seen him help many others. This week and last whenever I walk up, I have waited upwards to 8 minutes in line before someone assists me, only to be ignored by him. I can tell by the cooks frustration that he should be helping him out. But after today, I have had enough. Two years is really too long… He is rude (to me) and doesn’t really appear to like his job. As a regular customer in this establishment, I am not feeling valued. I am thinking that maybe the managers communication with him was either not effective or ignored. Either way, if this continues, I will no longer make purchases here. This may not matter in the scheme of things, but I did feel the need to voice my opinion.

This is one of the best places to get a quick lunch uptown. The salads are made to order with your choice of greens, protein (including tofu), toppings and dressing. The price is no higher than the places with the pre-​made salads on a shelf but the variety, quantity and quality are far superior. The salad bar almost always has a line, so you know it’s good! They also have soups, sandwiches, burgers, and a hot plate special. There are several different stations with a variety of offerings which rotate out specials daily. In addition they have baked treats and a coffee bar. A friend I sent over there for a salad bemoaned all the money he has wasted elsewhere.

Love this place! Have not eaten lunch here very much but the couple times I have it has been great. I normally eat breakfast here and we sometimes come 2 or 3 times a week to get it to go. The line can take a little longer than some places but they usually only have 2 people making the orders and they are made right in front of you. If you aren’t a patient person don’t bother coming it is worth the wait though if you do have to wait a little bit.
I normally get a croissant with bacon, egg and cheese and its great. The breakfast wrap is amazing as well. The omelet is my favorite item though, you can get whatever you want in it and it is very nice and thick, very filling. The price is great also, I normally spend like 3 – 4 dollars on breakfast and it is much better than most places. I would definitely try this place out if you never have.

This place is like a nicer version of a cafeteria with a grill line, sandwich line, pizza/​flatbread line, and salad line. They also have soups, breads, snacks, and bottled drinks.
Been here multiple times for both breakfast and lunch and everything has been just ok. Nothing amazing but gets the job done for something fairly quick. I would have to say that breakfasts are a bit tastier than lunches… though I think it might have something to do with the ease of making breakfast! They do have a make your own omelette station, which is awesome!
Today I had a salad. They usually have different types of meat options available that change out every week (some kind of fish, chicken, pork, and tofu). They have a decent amount of toppings as well! So for like $ 9 or so, you come out with a pretty decent salad. I love their cilantro lime dressing!
I always feel like the staff is very rude. I just got snapped at today for no reason whatsoever. Just chalk it up to them being students, I guess. Regardless, decent spot for a quick meal to go.

As others have said … it’s run by J & W students. I think they do a great job! Usually very friendly. The breakfast options are awesome … an omelette with any fillings you could want … a breakfast sandwich with the any toppings. Endless options (breakfast wise).
This is a great place to swing by for lunch. The line can get a little long as most of the food is cooked fresh as you order. Or, you can help yourself to their delicious salad bar. The daily grill item is always a good choice … their turkey burgers are huge and delicious. I also love that they have different bread options for your burgers/​sandwiches. GREAT PRICES! If you get a daily special … I think it’s around $ 7.99 for sandwich, side and drink!

This place is okay. It’s well known for being convenient, but I didn’t find the long line at lunch hours to be that convenient. It could be because I usually stand and wait for the daily grill. Ready made sandwiches and salads did look like they were being distributed faster.
Last week, I got a grilled chicken BLT with ranch. It was good. It was messy, but it was good. And the price is right for a fresh food place in the middle of town. But every time I go, I feel like I have to wait extra longer than others and never find a table.
Well, it’s taste-​y.

Taste is a great week day lunch option. It is run by J&W students. It’s cafeteria style but items are served to you. They have different menu items on a regular basis. The entrees I have had were eh. When I go, I go for the salad bar. The offer such a wide selection of proteins, greens, vegetables, dressings, cheeses, and toppings. If you like salad, there is definitely enough for you to make a salad you would enjoy. The line can get really long so try to get in a little before noon if possible.

It has been a few years since I have been back at this place but now that I am working back on this side of Uptown, I went back for breakfast because they had good oatmeal at a good price and some decent toppings.
I am not sure how the rest of the place is because I haven’t been back for lunch yet but breakfast was disspointing.
The oatmeal has been moved to self serve, which is perfectly fine. But it is not well monitored. The oatmeal consistency is now waaay to thick. So much so that it’s a struggle to get it out of the laddle.
The first time I went, they were out of oatmeal lids so I myself had to rumage underneath the cabinet to find them because no one would come over and help and there were three other customers looking for lids. Today they did not have the larger oatmeal cups and said they were completely out.
I’m not sure if managment changed or if I caught them on back-​to-​back off days, but it doesn’t make me want to rush to come back.
I used to love this place and there is a lot of potential so I hope they step it up.

I have to say that Taste has really stepped it up a notch since their renovation. Though I have been a faithful salad goer for years, the other foods available look and taste incredible. If you get chance to try the jambalaya when it’s offered, jump at it! You won’t be disappointed! Wow! Great stuff! Keep up the good work!

I met three friends here who work in the buildings around the restaurant. This was my first experience. The line was a bit long, but if the food was worth it, then I didn’t mind. I chose a chicken sand which (number 1). It was good, but, the chicken is so finely ground it was very messy to eat.
The taste was awesome, but I would have loved to see the menu of condiments prior to having the pressure of ordering with a long line behind me.
The upstairs dining area has a great view! When the weather is nice, the patio is awesome as well. I would recommend this place to anyone not in a big rush. I also hear they are closing it down for a while to remodel.
Happy eating!

Everything here is good and fresh! That can sometimes go a long way for people but for me… I was a little disappointed in the bang for my buck. Personally, I think lunch is overated and bland. Sandwiches and Salads galore though. The problem was the inconsistancy. I like coming back to a place that I know is going to be good. Additionally, the sandwiches here can hold a candle to the ones at 7^th Street Public Market.
The best part about Taste… The brekfast. My man makes a mean, but small, omelete that really hits the spot. I’ve heard the oatmeal is good, too. Trust me, stick to breakfast though.
–Ian M.

Would like to give this more stars — usually I get either the salad bar or the «international» meal from the grill. The food is usually pretty good from the grill — salad is ok. The service/​attitude of some of the staff could use some improvement though/​I see comments below echoing the grill cook’s demeanor — I went there today and he was pretty rude. Other times I’ve gone and have been annoyed at the checkout situation, i.e. I’m standing in line on one side behind a person, and as soon as they’re finished checking out, I’m told to go to the other side. Food is great, but service isn’t always friendly or pleasant.

Taste offers a large selection of items, from the salad bar, hot station — which changes daily, to the grill, and a soup and sandwich bar. In addition to the fresh options there are a few select items for the grab-​n-​go. Overall the options are plenty, but after giving it three visits, I can say everything is just ok. Today I went with the soup and sandwich, a shrimp bisque soup and the chicken mozzarella and tomato sandwich. The soup was hot, but very rich and the sandwich was ok. Very heay on the bread and the chicken could have been skipped.

Sleek décor but a bit pricey. I was very impressed with the food and for good reason, the people working behind the counter are Johnson and Wales students (some of them-​not all). I had a falafel sandwich and chips and can’t say a bad thing about it, it was fantastic. They have a wide selection of food to choose from as well. You can get a turkey burger prepared immediately all the way to picking up a quick deli sandwich and make a quick getaway.
The location makes it convenient for me so that’s a plus being that it’s in the building I sometimes work in. I don’t know that I would go out of my way to dine here though.

I tried Taste for breakfast today. I love their clean, modern look, that J&W students prepare the grub for you and that there is a Sprouts-​esque place there but I still miss Sprouts. Taste has an omelet bar which also doubles as a breakfast sandwich station and they also offer an omelet of the day or you can create your own. They get brownie points in my book for offering egg white omelets and have a nice selection of add ins. Omelet was good but didn’t seem to gel too well together so I think I will stick to making my own at home. While waiting for my omelet, I looked at the prices of their sandwiches and it seemed a little more than I would like to spend for lunch so think this will be a breakfast only place for me when I want a sandwich. Unfortunately since it was right before the holiday and breakfast time, I didn’t get the entire Taste experience.
The cashier seemed too involved with her conversation with a random and just sucked her teeth when she told me the price so that turned me off a bit. When you’re at work, act professional and do your job, even if you’re a college student (younger me is shaking her head at current me for saying this). I did see a sign while walking out that they offer cupcakes now, must check those out!

So, I’ve heard about this place from my team. The key thing here folks keep bringing up about this place is it’s run by or staffed by some Johnson & Wales students (cooking /​hospitality school in Charlotte).
Located in the center of the city in Founder’s Hall (Bank of America) on the 3^rd Floor. It is a bit tricky to find it if you haven’t been in that building.
Design, layout, and décor is ultra modern and minimal. They have several key food areas… food bars where you pick a baseline dish/​pasta/​sandwich/​salad/​item, then add onto it as you like based on the extras they have that particular day. They also stock a good supply of side items.
I had the mixed greens salad with chicken and light dressing… and it was very good… even better than Dean and Deluca’s…which is saying something!
FREEBIE ALERT: They have free water in carry out cups… after you go through the cash register, so save a few bucks and pick it up instead.
The food was served quick, but the plastic container my salad came in was so tightly sealed I had to tear the plastic to get it off… needless to say had I not taken care to do so, it would have exploded all over the place.
In addition, they have a sweets area that does a special on Tuesday where you get a free cup cake when you buy three… not sure if that is a hit here, but in Chicago!!! Look out… they ladies would have loved it up there!
Pricing was in-​line, if not a bit more expensive than Dean and Deluca which was disappointing. Finding good, healthy, and cheap lunch alternatives in the center city continues to be a challenge for me. At $ 8 to $ 9 a day… that adds up to over $ 2000 annually… ouch!
Finally, they’d gotten 5 stars, but they’re trash set up wasn’t done very well as they tried to provide several options as it pertains to recycling, but the wording on the cans and how close the landfill trash can and recyclable trash can are together it was just a jumbled mess of trash??? Add in the armoured car like salad container and they lost one star :^(
But Taste is a winner in my book. Tucked away as it is, it does serve up some good fresh food.