People who’ve been to Souplantation® before will note that this is not the usual Souplantation graphic that is used on the stores. Why? I couldn’t find a handy graphic to use. The only one I could find is the parent company which is Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. who also owns a franchise called “Fresh Tomatoes”, whatever that is.

From the Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp site:

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. was founded in 1983 and currently operates over 90 salad buffet restaurants in 15 states. The Company seeks to provide fresh wholesome food with a strong emphasis on salads, which are featured on two 55 foot bars that include a wide range of salad offerings featuring three freshly tossed salads as well as a large assortment of fresh cut produce, dressings and toppings and several signature prepared salads. Various offerings include made from scratch soups, a hot pasta bar, a bakery which serves a variety of hot muffins, focaccias and other breads and a dessert bar centered around a frozen yogurt station with toppings complemented by fresh fruits and puddings

I’m almost sad to run Souplantation through the Cheap Eats grinder, because except for COST they hit nearly every other thing that makes a buffet restaurant great squarely on the head. First, it’s damn healthy because the main fare consists of salad and soup. Their salad selection is extensive and their soups have improved beyond the always popular Chicken Noodle and Clam Chowder to include specials and seasonal items like Gumbo and Turkey Pot Pie.

There are usually three pasta items and one of them is invariably Macaroni and Cheese. Skip this and the Pasta Alfredo. If they have Sausage Pasta, you might try that since the sausage in there is real. There is an excellent selection of bread, muffins and pseudo “pizza” bread, as well as baked potatoes with all the trimmings, desserts and frogurt. And it’s a BUFFET so you can eat as much of it as you want.

Souplantation is impeccably clean and the waiters are extremely friendly, offering to clear your tray or get you refills of your drink. Definitely different than a lot of serve yourself buffets. I’ve run into a few problems as far as waiting in line (Hint: do not go there if you know there is going to be a teenybopper fundraiser held inside. The line to get food can be over a half hour long!) but for the most part, the turnover pace is steady so you’ll find somewhere to sit.

Ah, if only it weren’t for the price! It’s not their fault… buffets are usually overpriced (except for select ones in Vegas of course). I believe it used to be much cheaper, especially for dinner. Dinner is now about $8.50 and if you get a drink (god forbid) it will run you over $20 for two people. Maybe I’m still living in the 80s cost of living but this is NOT true Cheap Eats. This is expensive eats. I don’t care how much food your belly is able to hold. The average person is not getting real Cheap Eats value at $8.50, especially since there is hardly any MEAT in anything. (Hint: don’t buy the little cups of chicken they thoughtfully sell in line. Get a bowl of chicken noodle soup with no noodles and just some chicken. Take the chicken out of the soup and let it cool. Then shred it an put it in your salad with the appropriate dressing. Instant sneaky chicken salad.)

If you absolutely find you must splurge and try to cheap eat at Souplantation, skip the drink (get water) and get your AAA discount, or bring in one of their dollar off coupons. The AAA discount is only like 70 cents but any discount is better than nothing.

Cheap Eats Score: 4/10