As a mac & cheese lover, I was beyond excited to try this place. Hesitant as I had to drive over an hour to get there, but I've been wanting to try it for quite some time. We ordered the lobster truffle oil and the short rib Philly mac & cheese. We also got a BLT grilled cheese sandwich to go. The grilled cheese BLT (bacon love tomato) came with a small tomato basil soup to dip it in. And a side of tater tots. SO GOOD! I was disappointed in the Mac n cheese. The cheese sauce lacked flavor. The lobster was expensive and only had 6 small pieces of lobster. Not worth $25 at all. The meat with the Philly was really good and tender. And for your base you can pick between pasta, broccoli, cauliflower, or tater tots. I would have only given a 2 star for the mac n cheese but the grilled cheese blew me away, over an hr later, NOT reheated! I will be back for the sandwich and tots. Not the mac n cheese. The restaurant was clean and lively. Staff were very friendly as well. Is it worth the drive?.... For the Mac n cheese.... No For the grilled cheese.... Yes read more

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First time I went was a few weeks after it first opened. I had a build your own bowl with noodles, broccoli, and 2 cheeses. They put it under one of those conveyor belt ovens. I was very excited since I love mac and cheese. And then I was very disappointed because there barely was any flavor and it was barely heated. To say it was lukewarm was even a stretch. The broccoli was over-boiled and mushy. This second and last time I went was a few days ago. I thought to try them again since it's been a while and I give it another go. I chose a grilled cheese with tomato, and side broccoli and cheese. That was my bad though. I should've looked at the broccoli first before ordering because they were clearly over-boiled and soggy again so nothing has changed there. The cheese on top was just a sad splash of thinned yellow goo and neither had any flavor. The grilled cheese with tomato was just as basic as it gets. There's a banner on one of the beams to take a pic of your cheese-pull and tag them in social media. I should have done that so everybody can see just how mediocre even the grilled cheese is. It's over-priced and disappointing. If you actually like mac and cheese, don't go here. read more

Drove 1 hr to this place prepared for some cheesy Mac n cheese from reading all the reviews. Toppings from lobster to brisket. We were welcomed when we came in. The restaurant was clean and a good amount of seating. We ordered the lobster white truffle, and the Philly short rib mac & cheese. We also ordered the BLT (bacon love tomato) grilled cheese to go. That came with a side of tots and tomato basil soup dipping soup. The Mac n cheese was mid at best. Cheese sauce Lacked flavor and was very thin . The lobster lacked flavor and in quantity. The Philly was slightly better in the quantity of meat and flavor. But still thin cheese sauce. The star of the show was the BLT grilled cheese! Taste was outstanding and the tots matched. I ordered it with sourdough bread. Unfortunately, I didn't eat it till I got home which was over an hour and it was still outstanding even cold. I would definitely go back for the sandwich to have it warm. Unfortunately, I will not be ordering the mac & cheese again. read more

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First off what kind of restaurant has NO bathroom? You have to go to another place and buy something to use their bathroom or walk the waterfront all the way to the top of the hill for a restroom. Extremely annoying! We both did the create your own bowl. Overall we both thought it was just meh, not that good. We won't be back. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Regular Mac n cheese was just meh - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I agree with the majority of Yelp reviews that this place is a decent option in Point Ruston but not really the best. As far as atmosphere, it is an adorable restaurant. I ordered 6 Mac n cheese bites, a canned sparkling water and a cup of mini chocolate chip cookies. I would have ordered a whole bowl of Mac n cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich but i'm on a tight budget right now and the entrees here are around $15+ but it was $18 for what I ordered so for a few bucks extra I got a drink and dessert. The Mac n cheese in the bites was actually tasty so when I return again I probably will get a bowl of Mac n cheese.. the breading on the outside i didn't care much for though. It was bland and needed some kind of seasoning or herb but the marinara sauce did help a little with that. The cookies and drink I got were very good so no complaints there. I'll come back again to try a grilled cheese and bowl of Mac sometime but overall I feel like Farelli's Pizza right across from them is a better option when you have a cheese and pasta craving. read more

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Honestly, a little disappointed but worth the experience. But first, the pros: The staff was SUPER friendly and accommodating. They made triple sure we got gluten and dairy free Mac n' Cheese, which is always one of our concerns (the gf pasta and df cheese was so good we thought it was real)! Our food came out quicker than I thought and everything tasted good. However, the portion sizes for what it costs is definitely NOT worth it. And unfortunately, my pasta didn't explode with flavor in my mouth like I was hoping. Maybe if I got the build your own bowl it would be more worth it in terms of price but I'm not so sure.. I absolutely love the concept of this restaurant and I really hope they find success, but it's got to be more worth it for us, the consumers. There are a lot of good looking desserts though that seemed reasonably priced (but none are dairy free). P.S. making your meal a combo isn't really worth it IMO. Costs $7 and it's just a fountain drink and side (small soup cup, dessert bar, or bag of Tim's chips). read more

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My family and I are Ruston regulars, so when we saw the storefront sign for I Heart Mac & Cheese we were super pumped as my kids LOVE mac n cheese (as all kids do). We were stoked to have another option that would be a good spot for everyone! We went during the early opening stages so I'm going to chalk up the few discrepancies to that and assume our next visit will be more seamless. We tried an assortment of things as we wanted to get a taste of what they're about across the board. We ordered the Best of Both Worlds, Truffle & Lobster Mac, regular Mac, and the Chicken Parm Flatbread. The experience is sort of like going to Chipotle or Subway, where you can customize your options along the way. That said, I told the employee I was fine with everything ordered the standard way that it comes and didn't need anything added or taken off - yet they kept asking for every dish along the way if I wanted anything added or taken off. It made the ordering process wayyy longer than it needed to be. Again, going early in the opening stages, the staff was still learning and had to keep referencing the menu to see what ingredients went on what dishes, which also added more time. From the time I got in line to the time I paid, it was almost 30 minutes (not exaggerating). We picked our seat and the manager (or who I assume to be) was kind and said he'd bring all our food to us when it was ready, and it was all ready pretty quickly in comparison to the ordering process. The manager was SO nice and very interactive with all the guests. My favorite menu item that we had was surprisingly the flatbread! Super cheesy and I absolutely love pesto so the generous globs of it were great. The Lobster Mac was what I was most excited about, but the truffle flavor really overpowered the dish. The chunks of lobster were actually rather decent, so that's a bonus! My kids also enjoyed the plain mac. The Best of Both Worlds was delicious and the short rib was cooked really well with great flavor. I want to return in the future to try a few more menu items and to give them time to work out the kinks. It definitely has promising potential! read more

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If you're not familiar, I heart Mac & Cheese is basically a Subway but for mac & cheese. For a fast food place I thought it was pretty good. I arrived fairly early for the day and there were already several people in line and online takeout orders were going out the door. I went with a vegan delight mac, which I kept mostly as written on the menu. I was advised that the vegan cheese is a coconut based product so I opted for regular sauce instead. The employees were all very friendly and clearly received good training. I was a little bummed they were out of the mac & cheese bites so I went with tots instead. The item you order is made in front of you in a disposable metal tin which is then swapped out for a heart shaped bowl. I suppose it's kinda cute, but it's fairly wasteful overall. The food is cooked to order so it takes a little bit, but I wouldn't say that the wait time was unreasonable. Overall it's really not a bad place for a quick meal and I ended up getting 2 meals out of my bowl which is good because of the price...too expensive for what you get. For a little bit more I would have been able to go to a sit down restaurant with a liquor license. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Slightly customized vegan delight with tots - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I'm giving this place four stars but that might be being generous. It's new so bound to be some growth. First of all it's well located, right next to wild fin although if you are disabled and have to park in the garage it's a long walk. It's bright and cheery inside, with all the yellow chairs. Menu is on the board behind the counter where they put the food together. Lots of options for mix and match and the portion size is very good, larger than most of us can eat so there will be left overs. Both my friend and I had Lobster Mac and cheese in a bowl. You have the choice of pasta, broccoli, quinoa and something else and then the sauce on top. It was good, not wonderful with plenty of lobster but skimpy on the sauce so the pasta was a little dry. I did mention that to the nice woman behind the counter who asked how things were. It makes more sense to get a combo so you get a drink, a main course and a side. Sadly they were out of the Mac and cheese bites so we had tater tots which were ok. Most of the restaurants have the parking validation machines, this one does not. Not sure why but it meant we had to pay for parking which we should not have had to do since we were eating there. We plan on going back one more time and trying a sandwich just to see if anything has changed. Still the idea is great and with a few tweaks it could be a five star place. It's especially great for kids so if you've come to walk along the waterfront you can stop in there and get things to go for a picnic. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Lobster Mac and Cheese with tater tots which - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This is a new place on Ruston. The husband saw it on social media so we decided to give it a try after a movie. It's the first week open so there will be some growth. There is potential for it to be really good. I did a build your own the line was long and it took forever due to only 1 person actually taking orders and customers taking a while to order. Once you order it moved a bit quicker as it's a little like chipotle style to add on and customize things. I got grilled chicken that actually had some good flavor. The flavor was a little bland when it came to the rest however. My husband got a grilled cheese sandwich. He enjoyed his sandwich however the tater tots were not very good. The staff were very friendly and the restaurant was clean and bright especially for how busy they were. I am sure we will give it another try after a while. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Build your own. - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Service here is great, the food itself is good, but the prices are insane! The workers here are very friendly and helpful. The food itself is decent and a nice take on Mac and Cheese. Interior is also clean We got two bowls + combos for each and + tax and tip our total was over $50. For some macaroni with minimal protein , that's definitely a lot for such a simple food. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Two customized bowls with Mac and cheese bites - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

the staff were so friendly! good amount of seating for how small the spot is. i would not go here. i knew nothing about it before going but apparently its a chain and after eating here im not sure how there's more than one of these and how they're staying in business. i will say there's only this option for this type of food so maybe thats how. it is basically cheap man and cheese they're charging $20 a bowl for. it is similar to a subway where you could order set menu items or custom order. you start with noodles, then choose your cheese, then topping/protein and it gets toasted. i got the classic and the short rib bowl with tater tots. i would much rather have had velveeta box mac n cheese than this. but i do give them credit that they have vegan cheese... not sure the taste on it tho. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Classic Mac and Cheese - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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We went their soft opening. When we first walked in it's very Smokey in there and kind of burned my eyes. But good thing was it didn't smell burnt! It felt like going to chipotle, and that's how you order their Mac and cheese or grilled cheese. I have to say they have the best service! There's a male staff was really sweet! He was so patient for me to sign up on the app and he gave us chocolate cookies. The chocolate chip cookies were the best! It's so chewy! It's so TASTY! The Mac and cheese tasted very yummy too! The lobster felt a bit frozen taste but it's not too bad when you mix with the cheese sauce. I also liked the hint of truffle taste. My husband really liked the vegan grilled cheese. He can't eat normal cheese because of lactose! And he said this grilled cheese tasted like real cheese and fulfilled his taste buds of able to eat cheese! The reason I took one star out because the cheesy broccoli tasted watery. And the tater tots were cold and not crunchy. Other than that everything was good! read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Lobster & White Truffle Mac and Cheese - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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I secured a table for my friends, boyfriend and myself so I can't really speak for the service. Although, an employee approached me after I got my order and told me they had put the wrong sauce on it. They already had a long line so I told them it was fine. However, I wasn't impressed or content with the mac and cheese and that might be due to the wrong sauce but at the same time, it just didn't take like mac and cheese. It was just sweet and not even really cheesy. I also felt like it wasn't really spicy at all and I got the Skinny, Sweet & Spicy Bowl (which I found out on their website does not have the cheese sauce). There was also barely any chicken and broccoli too. My friends and boyfriend seemed to have enjoyed their mac and cheese but they didn't praise it like they did the tator tots which was very delicious. I had their tomato soup and it was comforting and flavorful. The little take out heart bowls are super cute and you can ask them for a lid if you have leftovers. The interior is bright and cheery with a few neon light signs and a cute photo op spot. They have plenty of chairs and tables inside but it does feel really crowded as the lines were around the area so it was hard to get in and out of the seating area. I'm sure as the hype dies out it won't be as busy but it does feel stuffy in there. Definitely want to try a different mac and cheese bowl as well as their grilled cheese sandwiches which look amazing. The pricing here is definitely more nicer than the other food spots in Ruston so good for those trying to stay within a budget. They also do validate your parking for you, you just have to order and let an employee know. read more

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We came here since for a quick bite to eat while visiting the waterfront. This place is like a subway/ Quiznos vibe. You order your food add the toppings as you move down the counter and they put it on a lil toaster conveyor belt to melt / cook it. The lobster Mac and cheese was terrible. It had no flavor, and I mean all of it lacked any taste. The cheese sauce was very bland as well as the lobster itself. My daughter bite of this which and I can tell it wasn't good by how slow she was to take the next bite. So I tried it myself, in the end we threw it away after a few bites and went somewhere else. read more

We went here the other day during their soft opening, and the mac and cheese was fine. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but there also wasn't anything super special about it either. I do think that they could add a bit more cheese sauce to their bowls (we had a few dry noodle areas in both of our bowls), but I also understand that they're still figuring things out as they navigate their opening. Everyone who helped us was great though, and they even checked on us while we were eating which was nice. I do like the Quiznos-esque style of things, and I think that if you're in the area, then it's worth checking out, but I honestly don't know if I'd necessarily go out of my way to eat here again. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I've been looking for a go to Mac and cheese place and this is IT. First of all friendly and beautiful staff. When you walk in you are greeted as if you're a celebrity, nice smiles and great energy. The blonde gals in the front were so kind to walk me through it. They have build your own Mac and cheese bowls or signature items on their menu. I got the lobster Mac and cheese and it's something you can't miss I swear to God you are missing out if you don't get it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND 100000000/10. Don't forget about their freshly baked cookies! By the way to add: they are a family owned business and I think this is the next best thing in point Ruston and if you don't believe me you have bad taste ‍ STAY CHEESY read more

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Missed the mark. I went here with coworkers and we were excited to give this place a try, as we of course love Mac & Cheese. Walking in, the place was empty but it was also a week night at about 5pm. They use cavatappi noodles and not macaroni noodles (which is fine, but the place is called I love MAC & cheese). We ordered a classic mac, chicken parm mac, & a short rib mac. All three fell flat. The classic mac was good, but there really wasn't anything special about it. The chicken parm mac was easily the best one flavor wise, but unfortunately we weren't fans of the chicken. The short rib was very onion forward and had more mushrooms than short rib. We turned each Mac bowl in a combo, which brought our total to nearly $80. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Classic Mac and Cheese and 3 Count Classic Mac Bites with ranch. - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Tried the lobster mac and cheese and added broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and green onions. I wouldn't add the broccoli and cauliflower again as they were frozen and the texture wasn't for me. The mac is served with a cheese sauce on the pasta, then topped with slices of cheese (I chose Muenster and pepper jack) and heated, similar to a toasted sub. Mine wasn't very hot, and the sauce was on the runny side not the creamy, baked mac I'm used to, but ok. Would have appreciated more protein. The portion was the size of a sauce container. My friend's "Best of Both Worlds" sandwich was my favorite of the night. A bit messy my it tasted good. The flatbread was a bit too soft for my liking. Overall, decent, but not the mac and cheese you'd make at home. No parking validation available and all other neighboring restaurants offer that when dining in. read more

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Skip this place. It's expensive and mid. Just go to Beechers or buy their frozen mac from Costco. The noodle shape is odd for macaroni and doesn't hold things together well. The toppings are just okay, not great. Service is average. Nothing really stands out. Think of this place like another overpriced "craft" bar that does pretentious mac and cheese. read more

This place is basically like The Melt. Its good but I don't think the prices match the portions. Didn't give me much tater tots with my order and you'll still be hungry if you just order a sandwich. Everything is over $15 and for mac n cheese thats pretty expensive. read more

The beige, salty gooey sauce on the classic mac and cheese didn't resemble any cheese sauce I've ever eaten. If you like artificial substances masquerading as food, you'll love I Heart Mac and Cheese. read more

If I could leave it 0 stars I would. First off the manager Kate is very rude to the customers and her employees. I saw her being very demanding and passive aggressive to the teenager girl working there I felt bad. When I tried to order the same rude manager made me feel dumb for asking questions and the food is basically microwaved food overpriced. I would not recommend. read more

First off, the staff gets a 5 for friendly service. Secondly, their vegan food is decent and it's cool to have vegan option. My complaints: 1. I got crispy chicken on my mac and it was terrible quality chicken nuggets that were mixed in with the watery cheese sauce. So they lost their breading and I could not tell them apart from the cauliflower I had instead of noodles visually. Tasted like chewy dust. 2. The cauliflower was watery and tasted like bagged frozen never cooked just thawed --it was huge florets-- so it didn't work. I Should have gone with quinoa. 3. They forgot the cheese on my son's order. So that's a bummer when eating mac and not much cheese. 4. I'm not sure if the cheese sauce is watery or if it was my cauliflower, but it is definitely not flavorful. 5. Three orders of mac, no drinks, side order of cold tater tot's $65!!!! Danggggg. read more

100/100 must get every day food was delicious welcoming young ladies good establishment read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Chicken Parmesan Mac and Cheese - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Great food, friendly service, but hella stingy on the cheese. They should double the cheese slices and triple the cheese sauce, at LEAST! Could also use a fan or something, it's quite smoky in there. Other than that, pretty good. Gluten free options, vegan options, even broccoli and quinoa options. Modern, gentrified, hipster vibe, but I don't hate it. 7/10 give me more cheese please Edit: Went back. They were more generous with the cheese sauce today. They seemed a bit confused when I asked for double the cheese slices (4 slices instead of 2.) They didn't know how to charge me for the extra cheese, but they did give me those precious two extra slices. I highly recommend asking for extra cheese, even if they do figure out how to charge you for it. Still needs more cheese. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Build Your Own Mac and Cheese, Tomato Soup Cup (Not GF) - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I visited during day 1 of their soft opening. Great service! Friendly staff!! Delicious Food!!! read more

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Went here today for the friends and family event and everything was beyond expectations! My 3 kiddos fully enjoyed the classic mac and cheese, and the store itself is super cute and welcoming. I highly recommend I Heart Mac and Cheese, such a fun and tasty spot for the whole family! Great location too!! read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Way overpriced for food that is just so so. We paid $42 for 2 bowls of mac and cheese and 2 fountain drinks. Glad we tried it but no need to go back. This location also needs more outside seating. read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Classic Mac with bacon and short rib Mac - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

How is it possible that a place that's specializes in Mac n cheese can fail so monumentally at Mac n cheese? I would suggest any other place for Mac n cheese. Amy's gluten free frozen Mac n cheese is better. To say I'm shocked, disappointed, and utterly gobsmacked is just not finding the right word. And the price? Nope. Sometimes you get one shot. read more

I really wanted to love this place after seeing the hype on social media. The concept is great but the delivery sucked. The lobster mac and cheese had a great amount of lobster however it was dry! There was a tiny cup of cheese sauce and one slice of munster cheese for 2 cups of noodles. The lobster grilled cheese was lacking as well. very basic and bland. The 2 year old ate one bite and threw it away. If your mac and cheese can't please a 2 year old. something needs to change. The place was packed and it takes a while to order and receive your order due to their build your own concept. you read more

The employees were great, the mac & cheese was decent, and the location is awesome. But the one thing I cannot get past is the price. I had a sandwich and my partner had a bowl. That was $55. The meals did come with sides but it was just 3 small balls of fried Mac & cheese. They were good, don't get me wrong, but there just wasn't enough to justify the cost. read more

This place was nice to try out. I saw someone on IG speaking of it so I figured I'd give it a try. They had a good crowd so people do really like the establishment. I thought the concept was nice which made me want to try it out. I would try it again but it not something I would just crave to have. For me personally it just lacked flavor. read more

I had the grilled cheese with bacon and tomato sandwich and the basic Mac and cheese. It was excellent. Fast service. Couldn't eat it all so brought it home. Fun menu for a change of pace. read more

A coworker told this place was good and I won't be asking her for restaurant suggestions anymore. First of all, I had no idea what to order. The menu is huge and in segments and there's just a lot going on. The gentleman working was not helpful. Did communicate at all with us. We ordered the chicken parm Mac and cheese, grilled cheese, tots, and tomato soup. The food is made it order lean cuisines. It tastes and looks the same. Well lean cuisines have more flavor than this did. Bad food, bad customer service, and busy decor. If I would've known that would've cost me $50 I would've never gone in. read more

I had high hopes and was disappointed. We are more of a Beaches Mac and cheese fan. This was bland and no flavor. We had the lobster Mac and the skinny bowl with veggies and chicken. The shiny bowl had no Mac and they forgot the chicken. The staff was very nice but the food was not worth it. The lobster Mac was $25. Our food was also to go but they gave us restaurant cups. Sorry I didn't take pictures. read more

We were genuinely excited to try this place after hearing good things and had been planning a visit to Ruston for weeks. Unfortunately, our experience upon arrival was so off-putting that we ended up taking our business elsewhere. When we walked in, there was no greeting--no "hello" or "welcome"--just silence. We tried to piece together the ordering process by reading signs and the menu posted on the glass. Eventually, a young employee approached and said to let him know if we had any questions, which was appreciated. We made our way to the "Order Here" sign and waited patiently to be helped. While we were discussing our order, another customer entered and began asking the same employee questions about how to order. The employee gave him a quick explanation and directed him to the ordering area. Instead of waiting his turn, the customer immediately walked around us--along with his companion--and began placing their order right in front of us. We were clearly already in line. What shocked us even more was that the employee didn't acknowledge us at all. He simply began taking the other customer's order, which dragged on as they kept changing their minds. Another staff member joined in to assist them, and we were completely ignored. It felt like we had become invisible. Frustrated and disappointed, I turned to my friend and said, "Let's go somewhere else." We walked out, and not one employee seemed to notice--or care--that they had just lost potential customers. It wasn't busy: only three tables were occupied, and there was no line. There was absolutely no reason for such poor customer service. We won't be returning. First impressions matter, and unfortunately, this one was a letdown. read more

Was excited to try this place as my daughter loves Mac & Cheese. I was a bit surprised by the prices a little high for what it is and what you are getting. The food was middle of the road not great and not bad. The restaurant was clean and designed nice. The cashier was nice, but the team definitely needs to work on their customer service no hellos no goodbyes nothing that was extremely rude, just not inviting. In the time we were there we saw many people come in and then leave. Could have been due to prices or lack of acknowledgment of the customer. Either way needs work and keep the cellphone and texting to back of the house. Overall wouldn't go back. read more

Food was super yummy!! Had an overall great experience! The owners sister was very friendly and sweet. There was a slight miscommunication because I had ordered my "Best of Both worlds" with light BBQ and they thought I wanted 2 sandwiches. So I tried to get a refund because none of my friends wanted it we all got our meals. But then they kind of seemed like unfriendly about the refund thing? And then at the end of the night I asked again she she called I think the manager to help, and she changed the order on the machine, but it never came back to my card even tho she promised it would.. I know it's just $20 but it adds up?! I even asked are you sure? And she said yes see look. But anyways read more

This new spot at point Ruston was great! We got to try the best of both world's grilled cheese sandwich and the lobster & white truffle Mac and cheese. The sandwich was so filling and the bread was toasted to perfection. My wife enjoyed her lobster Mac and cheese and our daughter loved the tater tots. I can't wait to go back and try a different combo! read more

I Heart Mac & Cheese - Fast Food Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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