Crushed Red

We ate there on a Sunday at lunchtime. The place was packed. Literally, we got the last table in the house.
This was our first time eating there, and I admit, the stations were a little bit like Subway, but a bit more intimidating. However, since it was our first time there, we stuck to the standard menu and navigating the stations turned out to be a smooth experience.
We ordered the Mushroom Medley pizza, and the Five Cheese pizza, then made our way to the salad station. My son got the Farmer’s Market salad, and my husband got the Welcome Back Cobber, minus the bacon.
We went to the next station, paid the ticket, and got our drinks. The Berry Green tea was yummy.
We sat down & ate our salads. Both were just fantastic. We people watched, impressed with how busy they were. Our pizza’s came out just when we finished our salads, perfect timing.
The pizza crust was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there were lots of little air bubbles making it taste delicious. The toppings were a mix of cheeses that, to be honest, I was unsure about. No need though, because they complemented one another perfectly!
I only gave them a four out of five because we were a bit unsure of the stations.

After many recommendations to try this establishment, we finally got a chance for a date night on a Friday.
Upon entering, we saw a long line and not many open tables. The rule is you cannot «save» tables due to limited availability and there is a staff member standing there to make sure you abide by this rule. Having never dined here before, once we reached the first station, they happily informed us of how this should work. At the first station you order your hot items, then you do your salads if you choose then drinks and pay station. People who suggested this to us suggested we each order a pizza and salad for plenty of shareable food.
I ordered the mushroom, pepperoni & sausage pizza, minus the mushroom and their caesar salad. Hubby did a craft your own pizza that he topped with sausage and jalapenos with their health nut salad. We went back and forth about their artichoke appetizer but decided to wait to see how full we’d get from the other food. They do have alcohol options but we stayed with water and salad.
Luckily there was an open table once we made it through all the stations. All your silverware and napkins are on the table in cute jars and there is a station for parm cheese, etc. We truly enjoyed the food, there wasn’t any left. The only reason I’m not doing 5 stars is because I felt rushed. The staff members are constantly staring at you, running around to try to take things and I felt like they wanted us out of there just so they could get the table ready for the next guest.
Its got a great vibe, and fresh food and I highly recommend it!

This is fast casual at its best! Order at the counter and the food is served at your table. I’ve visited the Kirkwood and Olive locations. Crushed Red features chopped salads, wood fired pizzas and shareable appetizers. Everything I’ve tried has been delicious. I’m impressed by the engaging, friendly staff, clean, well kept restaurants and lovely décor.
They also serve alcohol to enjoy with your meal. My friends and I really enjoyed the goat cheese appetizer! I built my own chopped salad and it was fantastic with just the ingredients I like! Both locations offer outdoor seating. The Kirkwood location has a bigger patio and little better view.
Great place to go to lunch with friends or for s semi quick dinner before a movie or play. Highly recommend!

We have visited the other location in Clayton and this location is just as great! Quality of food is top notch, service is quick and the place is always clean and modern! Love the idea behind the franchise and the commitment to sustainability by the company! Salads are amazing and Pizza is fabulous!!!

Just tried this place for the first time over the weekend. Awesome. I never thought a salad could be so delicious! Not to mention, the butternut squash soup was amazing.
I will be going back. Soon!

Sadly this was not good. I ordered the Yukon gold steakhouse pizza. The two main components were Yukon gold potatoes and sirloin. The pizza crust was the consistency of white bread. There was no crispness or chew to the dough. Nothing crust-​like. The sirloin had lots of chew. So much so that I spit out a couple of especially tough pieces. I did not even get through half of this pizza. It should not have been served. I was there at a slow time of day (late afternoon) and all of the other tables already had their food.

I was really disappointed with Crushed Red in terms of quality, quantity and price.
I heard good things about their gluten-​free pizza but found the crust was really not good. It was chewy but felt underdone even though it was browned. I think the dough is made from rice flour and it would really benefit to have tapioca starch to give it a crust. There’s also no flavor.
The serving size for a gluten free pizza is small, just enough for one person who isn’t that hungry. Think of it as ¹⁄₃^rd of a 10″ pizza. the toppings are good, thw sauce ia slightly sweet and there’s cheeae to cover from end to end. But with the insubstantial gluten free crust it simply isn’t filling.
For a gluten free pizza and a bottled root beer I paid $ 14. Others at our table expressed disappointment also with their portion sizes and talked about getting something filling on the way home.

This was my first time at this chain. I thought it was entertaining to watch the workers chop the salad and prepare the food, but the line was a little bit chaotic for my taste — people cutting in line and going around others, walking off, etc. Maybe that’s how it works, but it seemed a little strange!
Food was good — I had the Farmer’s market salad. It was really good to be honest, but not worth the almost $ 9 price tag. Their flatbreads looked good as well, but I didn’t have one this go-​around, so maybe I will have to try one next time.
I most likely will be back because it’s close to work, but I will probably choose something cheaper next time. The food is okay, but not worth the price tag!

We stopped in for lunch yesterday while in the Kirkwood area. It wasn’t very busy but I expect that the nice weather and church crowds going home had something to do with that.
This was our first visit and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had the Tomato salad to share and two pizzas. It was a little expensive but we felt satisfied by the portions. We didn’t walk out of there feeling like we had just swallowed a gut bomb… and that’s a good thing. We will return.

So my wife and I tried going to this place over the weekend. We went to the Magic House which is a fantastic children’s museum nearby.
This is one of those places that makes the ordering process as complicated as possible by splitting the items you can order between stations along the store length counter. Obviously this is an ideal situation for all new customers. Not.
The guy at the front was less than helpful. We tried to order a combination of pizza and salads. When we got to the salad, he pretty much just pointed vaguely in the direction of the rest of the counter and said, «You order that over there, but I’m not sure where he went.»
That was the next part… the guy who was supposed to take the salad order wasn’t at his station. No biggie. We’ll just wait a minute. When he came out, he seemed very annoyed that he had to take our order. My wife asked for some help in understanding the menu. There are create your own options and standard menu items. That was the last straw. The guy had it up to here with our requests. He couldn’t believe that some one wanted to place an order and ask a question about the menu, so he walked away shaking his head and leaned up against the wall baring his gold teeth (really — inserted for reference should anyone at this $hit place care to actually manage and wants to identify the employee).
Had he actually made more effort than it took to grunt at us I imagine his dialogue would have been, «What nerve! I can’t believe you want to order food and even wanted to ask a question!»
Anyway… We left. That guy was horrible. I hope this review helps others avoid this place. I don’t really hope for that guy to get fired although it’s clear he doesn’t belong there. I do hope that he gets put on sobs sort of a performance improvement plan and is forced to role play and job shadow for days… the worst possible fate I could imagine.

This place is really good! Salads are always spot on and I really like some of the pizzas that are available. Also like the fact they are a good size for one person! Ok, maybe a slightly overweight person, but definitely not too much! Not had the problem with staff mentioned in some reviews. They are younger (seems most people are getting younger than me!!! Lol) so maybe they are not that experienced… though that’s not an excuse for being rude as one reviewer mentioned.
One rub they seem a bit expensive for a salad and a flatbread pizza… but not nearly enough not to go! And the quality is really good and consistent. Seems I’m there at least once a week! I would highly recommend the place!

Fast casual meant I got the food quickly. Clean well executed concept. Pizza or salad. The surprise was an innovation in salads that is a game changer. Besides being tasty the salad was so easy to eat! I mean, you know how normally lettuce falls off your fork, and you just can’t get a bite of salad in your mouth with each of the ingredients? That drives me nuts! But here they chopped the hell out of the lettuce with this weird curved double bladed knife. And then tossed the salad! It meant that every scoop of my fork had a bit of every part of the salad, and was so flavorful! Wow. Plus we got hummus and bread and it was far tastier than I expected. And the wine was cheap. Would def recommend and come back!

I love Crushed Red. What a brilliant concept. You can literally eat here everyday of the week and get something different and healthy. The products are fresh and prepared in front if you. The staff is courteous and attentive. It’s a bit pricey but for the quality it is worth it. The location is challenging for parking. Parking is free. It gets very busy on fair weather days due to the spectacular outdoor seating.

First of all, I had only one beer next door at a bar, walked over and decided to try this place out, recommended by a friend.
Im my opinion, the menu was a bit confusing/​ordering. I just wanted a pizza to go. The first person I talked to was helpful but did provide really clear instructions after telling her it was my first time here. Instead of being helpful most were critizing my inability to follow their system. They should of started helping me out. I somehow skipped the pizza ordering station and into the salad, which I declined, so I was sent over to the drink station. Guy was kind enough to just order pizza to go.
I consider myself somewhat smart but this was just an inconvenience for their ordering process. From what I hear is that it’s a pretty repetitive occurrence for first timers.
Pizza was okay, a bit pricey for the portion size. It probably would of been close to $ 20 if I had ordered the salad and drink.

Crushed Red moved into Kirkwood a few years ago. Have recently gone a couple of times and enjoyed it. You select your own salad but can customize it. I really like how they chop everything up finely, better than having full pieces of lettuce/​greens. We’ve had a few different kinds– BBQ Southwestern chicken, a salmon one, and one with berries and quinoa. If you’re looking for a fresh salad, I do recommend. Especially if you can sit outside in the center of Kwood.

Crushed Red has been a favorite although I don’t get to go that often. This visit I had the seared tuna salad, which the name escapes me and the artichoke dip. Both were very good and the salad especially. I was impressed with how the line cooks went about making the salads, very focused. Crushed Red has a good vibe and fresh food and worth your time to visit.

The reason for the 2 stars is because of the staff making the salads. I do recommend the Health Nut salad it’s very tasty but I have to say I was just treated rudely by the guy making it. I tell the man what I wanted and rather than him asking me like a human being what size I would like, I get a finger point to the bowls sitting on top of the display instructing me to tell him what size I wanted, no words just a point. I didn’t understand what he was pointing at at first, so I glanced around a little bit to make it known I didn’t get it. So instead of saying anything… he does it again. Thanks jerk. Doesn’t say hello, doesn’t say enjoy your meal, doesn’t say please pay at the counter, he was literally a mute except when finishing his shift he suddenly came to life. Rather than embarrass the guy on the internet totally I will just say he has a facial feature easily identifiable to anyone’s eye assuming he opens his mouth, so look out for him and report back if maybe he just had an off day. The other guys didn’t look to pleasant either but who knows. The rest of the staff was nice however so that’s a positive.
I like the one in Clayton better.

We stopped by for a quick lunch on a blustery February day. Their concept is perfectly suited for just such a thing — soup, salad, pizza… you choose because it is all a-​la-​carte.
I started with their squash soup. Yes, it is named after a vegetable. No, it is not a particularly healthy soup to eat. There is just something special about a stick-​to-​your-​ribs cream-​based soup that fits so perfectly with the winter weather that it was the only logical choice for me. It was a very flavorful creation and it had just the right balance between the creaminess and the sweetness of the squash. The wife may have put it best when I offered her a taste: «this tastes like Thanksgiving.»
For my pizza, I choose their interpretation of a Hawaiian pizza. I can’t even name the year when I last ordered a Hawaiian pizza but it struck a chord with me so I went for it. Their pizza may be better described as flat bread style. Picture a rectangle approximately 4″ x 10″ and you’ve got it about right. Add the various toppings and accoutrements and bake until the thin crust is slightly cripsy and the cheese is slightly browned. The pizza was topped with organic tomato, pineapple, prosciutto, caramelized onion, and mozzarella with fresh cilantro. The prosciutto was good but not great. It lacked some of the saltiness that I expected. The caramelized onions were perfect — sweet and tender. Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs and tossing some fresh cilantro on top of this creation was a great idea. This is not a very filling interpretation of pizza so it was a good thing I grabbed the soup as well.
The only recommendation I would offer as to the layout is that they should probably keep the side door locked on cold days in order to preserve the temperature in the dining area.

First time here last weekend with my mother and we both loved it. This is a good substitute for when you’ve visited Panera, McAllister’s, and that ilk and need a reprieve.
The set up is Chipotle-​esque. You step up to the line and first order your hot food/​apps. We decided to share the artichoke dip (very tasty) as our starter. Next you move down to the «choppers» to order your salad. We both ordered mini salads (she the Chipotle bbq chicken and the deluxe berry for myself) which I found to be a good portion size and don’t think I’d upsize when I return. Next you move on to the cashiers where you also order drinks (soft drinks, wine, beer).
When the cashier rang our bill it came out to $ 31 (we also ordered two soft drinks). I thought this was off but I didn’t question as it was my first time here. About five minutes after we got to your table the cashier came back and stated she thought she overcharged us. She took our receipt to verify and indeed had overcharged us as our bill was only $ 26. I thought this was incredibly good customer service to come over to verify our bill especially when we didn’t even ask.
Tasty, nutritious food (my salad was only 150 calories but completely filling), and awesome customer service, I will definitely return!

Crushed Red describes itself as «an urban bake & chop shop.» When I think of a «chop shop,» I think of a place that disassembles stolen cars and then sells the parts. However, in this case, the «chop» refers to their chopped salads. The «bake» refers to their pizzas. Crushed Red also offers soups and «shareables» (e.g., hummus). Beer and wine also are available.
Both restaurant locations (Kirkwood and Clayton) are part of the Green Dining Alliance. According to their website, they produce no waste and are 100% sustainable. You get cloth napkins at your table. I understand that is the «green thing» to do, but I like paper. Just a personal preference. Maybe you’re the same way.
The service here was good. When my group walked through the entrance, a friendly employee greeted us and explained how to progress through the line and order our meals. You probably should know what you want prior to getting in line, especially if they are really busy. You have many options, particularly if you choose to customize your own salad or your own pizza. They have some digital menus along the line, but I found it helpful to carry one of their paper menus along with me, especially when ordering my salad.
I ordered a pizza and a mini salad. The other people in my group ordered two pizzas and two regular salads. We took our salads to our table and waited for our pizzas to be delivered to us.
The pizzas are sized for one person and are made on hand-​stretched whole-​grain crusts. I had mine topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and bacon. I wouldn’t call it a pizza. It was more like «some kind of flatbread with stuff on it.» Others at my table agreed. Yet, the crust actually was quite good. It was the best part of this «pizza.» Mine definitely could have used more sauce, and it hardly had any bacon. That’s okay, though. I didn’t find the toppings to be very good, and they were just in the way of the crust.
I had my mini salad made with romaine and four of the free vegetable toppings. I know that’s boring, but I did not need much since I also was having my pizza-​flatbread.
The food was okay, but for what you get, it’s ridiculously overpriced. My tiny little veggie salad was $ 5.25. The small, mostly crust «pizzas» were between $ 6 and $ 9 each.
As far as the restaurant itself goes, the dining area was large and nicely decorated. Yet, it was very busy and quite loud on the day we dined. The restaurant also was uncomfortably warm, but I’ll let that slide because it was a hot summer day.
Essentially, this is an upscale Subway that serves fancy food and alcohol. Crushed Red doesn’t call itself fast-​food or even fast-​casual. They are «artisan-​fast» with food that has been «artisan-​crafted» under the direction of «true artisans» Chris LaRocca, Mike Marino, and Jason Tilford who have a combined 114 years of experience in making artisan food. Artisan, artisan, artisan.
Kirkwood natives have told me that this location has been home to a series of restaurants and apparently is a place where restaurants go to die. I fear that Crushed Red might face the same fate with their high prices and so-​so food, but I hope they prove me wrong. It’s a cool concept for people who like cool concepts. It’s just not for me. Guess I’m not cool. :)