I was SO excited to stumble upon the "Nutrition" chain and landed on West Park because it was…read moreclose. I was excited to see the curbside option because I am still wary of going in establishments given the unpredictability with the pandemic. I will say my excitement went down with each leg of the experience and I will tell you why.
The first thing I noticed was no prices or ingredients on the menu. I didn't think *too* much of this upfront because I expect a nutrient focused product to be more pricy then say a tea at a local chain. I was bothered by the lack of listed ingredients. I think they rely on the look of their product on instagram. They will post a delicious looking shake, call it half-baked, and rely on your mind wandering to delicious treats by the same name. When I seek something health conscious, the first thing. I look at is the ingredients. I did throw this out the window, though, and decided to try tea anyway because it was a super hot day.
I called to place my order, like it says online, and someone answered the phone and said "hello?". No "West Park Nutrition" no "How can I help you?" nothing. This threw me off because I thought I called the wrong number. I said I wanted to place an order and she simply said "text me and I'll get it ready for you". Red flag number two, but I simply attributed this to being more of a young, new school kind of place. I texted my order and then texted the same number when I arrived. For all other curbside experiences I've done in the last few months you notify them when you get there. I got a response after about 5 minutes that said "did you come in? by the way, we don't have one of the flavors you ordered". This is a big red flag number three for me because I would not have ordered if I knew I had to go inside. I assumed curbside and carry out meant that curbside orders were brought out to you.
Nevertheless, I went inside to follow through with my order. I adjusted my flavor and worked with the guy behind the counter who was very nice. He was apologetic about the miscommunication between flavors that were in stock and I assured him it was no big deal. He handed over my teas (I ordered 2 large teas) and I found out at check out that my total was almost $20. I will say I can't imagine any other instance where I would pay this much for 2 teas, let alone ones where I didn't know the ingredients.
Our teas were tasty enough, but they were almost reminiscent of a pre-work out kind of taste. While those can ne "tasty" for a pre work out, they aren't something I sip on for enjoyment. I drink aloe daily, and that's not the flavor I was picking up. I wanted to love this place, and I may return in the future, but definitely not at this location. It was unclear if you order tea as a pair to a shake, or if they are priced separately. If they come together as a package, I was not advised of that when I ordered or when I said I had never been in before. The whole process was confusing, disjointed, and way over priced in my opinion.
If you are looking for a potentially "healthier" option to like a traditional shake, this may be your place. It's hard to say given the lack of ingredients. I would say don't be drawn in by social media and the promise of curbside like I was. Go in, ask questions, and get the information before you go through with an order. I would do that differently knowing what I know now!