IKEA has its own way of doing things. It must work for them since the place is very crowded even 3 weeks after opening. I have never been to one previously and had only scanned a few reviews before trying again on a Monday, late morning to make my first visit. I was mainly interested in trying the Swedish Meatballs that everyone was praising. (A full plate of meatballs, potatoes and gravy, lingonberry sauce, and seasonal veggies for only $4.99 is a great deal.)
So after finding a parking spot in the massive lot they have surrounding the store, I entered the east entrance and quickly figured out that I started at location 1. What I did not realize until I made my way passed the endless meandering shoppers who were blocking the aisles was that there are no straight hallways until you reach location 21 which looks like the inside of a Lowe's or Menards. That large warehouse area leads to the checkout area (Location 22).
The significance of this winding pathway is that you can't just go to the area you wish to shop directly. You have to go through the entire store to find what you want and then pay for it on the other end. Sure, if you look closely enough at signs, there are a few double doors that let you short cut (like through a maze) to save time. But as I found out that the restaurant was at location 11 (the middle), you have to do a lot of walking to get there. Oddly, you can see the street from the windows of the restaurant, but there are no doors there.
The restaurant was clean and bright, but only one side was opened as I waited nearly 20 minutes (on a Monday) to get to the order counter. I noticed that the other side opened after I was well into the winding aisle for my side, so bad timing on my part.
I will say that the food is very affordable and the portions were quite enough for a lunch. I enjoyed trying the Swedish Meatball plate (see above for details). The gravy and berry sauce both worked well with the meatball flavors. I also ordered a small berry cheesecake slice that was again, very affordably priced and tasted very light for a cheesecake. Admittedly, the cream cheese layer was thinner than most, but it did have a layer of baked in berries and was topped with a sweetened crumble. (4 stars for the food flavor, 5 stars for value).
After lunch, I decided to look for the Swedish Market after picking up a household item along the way. They have stations of bright yellow bags for hauling your items around if you don't wish to push a cart throughout the entire store. The overhead guides/directories count off which location I had reached and I kept seeing the Swedish Market was in location 23. But since the checkout is in location 22, where was the market? I doubled back and finally stopped an employee and was told that the Swedish Market (23) and the Bistro (24) were outside the checkout area. So, I stood in line for one of the 7 open lanes (15 possible) and waited for about 15 minutes before two more aisles opened. I made like a madman for the counter and was second in line. I paid and looked at my purchase just sitting there. I asked and apparently, they don't put your purchases in bags for you. Some Eco friendly reason, but not very helpful for shoppers. So, I grabbed my purchase and receipt and wandered over to the Swedish Market. There I picked up a few items. Again, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Where was I to pay for them? I went to the bistro and was able to pay there. Apparently, someone had gone on lunch break who was supposed to tell people where to pay and to sell them reusable bags for carrying purchases. Good thing I only got the three things at the market!
Sure, there are lots of items for sale and some even had great prices. But it was odd having to make purchases at the restaurant, at the checkout, and at the bistro for the market. Seems like a very inefficient way to run a business. It apparently works for them, but not for me.
I made my way out with my purchases literally in my hands through the west exit. Note that if you want to go to the market or bistro, I think you can directly enter the west side and avoid the long walk.
Review #434 read more