Returning from the long winter break, Salisbury students were greeted with not only a new semester, but also a new café, The Tropical Smoothie Café.
The Tropical Smoothie Café had its grand opening on Jan. 15. It is located right across from Salisbury University, on the opposite side of Route 13.
The cafe’s manager, Sam Mehta, noted that there were a few reasons for the choice of location, its proximity SU being one of them.
“[The location was chosen] first of all [because] of the availability and [because] the landlords were really nice and very easy to work with,” Mehta said. “Being right across from the college was another reason we chose this location.”
Tropical Smoothie Café offers a large menu that aims to offer nutritious food and drink to its customers. Customers can find a variety of sandwiches, smoothies, wraps, salads and more on the menu.
“Pretty much every time I go there, I get a protein shake of some sort,” Salisbury student Brock Forsythe said.
Students such as Forsythe are heavily drawn to Tropical Smoothie Café due to the healthy options it offers.
The café provides an assortment of products with antioxidants as well as options such as a green detox smoothie and vegan chicken.
“They have really good smoothies, and it is a good healthy alternative … it’s better than getting, like, ice cream or coffee,” Salisbury student Nicole Hunter said.
The café also works to ensure that it is allergen friendly, partaking in procedures that prevent cross-contamination, especially when using the blenders for different smoothies.
“As far as the allergies are concerned, if anybody lets us know ahead of time, we sanitize the blender before we prep the food,” Mehta stated. “Then we take very good care when preparing all of the food in the back of the house. We know a lot of people are allergic to peanuts, so we have special blenders just for people who are.”
Salisbury locals and students are also drawn to the unique atmosphere the café offers.
The windows allow for a more open feel, and the placement of tables makes the café a good spot for groups of friends to socialize.
“I like the atmosphere. It’s really pretty in here,” Hunter added.
While many in the Salisbury community are excited about Tropical Smoothie Café’s arrival, some students are not convinced that the smoothies are truly a healthy alternative.
“I believe that if I am to get a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Café, I might as well buy a soda along with it because of the sugar content,” Salisbury local and student Aaron Steigler said. “I think the quality of the smoothie is very low quality.”
Steigler also expressed concern about how the new chain will affect the smaller businesses around it, such as Pablo’s Bowls.
“The impact of consuming a product of a major chain negatively affects the local businesses in Salisbury, such as Pablo’s Bowls, which I am a big fan of,” Steigler said. “I’d rather spend my money there, even though it is a little bit more expensive. Their ingredients are higher quality, and it is more local.”
Forsythe agreed that it may impact other businesses.
“I think it might cause a shift in the amount of people that do go to Pablo’s Bowls, However, I don’t know if it will overall cause a big enough effect,” said Forsythe.
Still, both Hunter and Forsythe would recommend the café to other students due to the atmosphere and the nutritional values that are advertised for each product.
With a philosophy of “eat better feel better,” Salisbury locals and students alike are eager to try out the new spot in town.
By LAURA AMRHEIN
Staff writer
Featured photo: KB Mensah image.