Many business owners think about their products and services from the perspective of a provider or…read morevendor. Not the customer. Here's some advice: Walk through your business the way a customer would. How do they enter your space or navigate your website? How easily can they identify what they need? How smoothly is their order fulfilled? Where are the natural opportunities to upsell or add value? What does the payment experience feel like? Every step shapes their perception of your brand. If customers sense high effort, confusion, or indifference from staff, they will look elsewhere. Of the four customers I saw during the visit to your location: 1) the first one was frustrated because the ingredients advertised weren't available, so instead of being guided to an alternative she had to make that choice, 2) The second customer was frustrated because there was only one person working, and while this individual was making his order, the soul worker did not acknowledge any of the other customers, so he was frustrated when the customers pulled his attention away from crafting his order, leaving him with a negative experience, 3) the third. Customer was clearly frustrated because she was purchasing premade juices, but still had to wait an under amount of time before even being acknowledged by staff, 4) the fourth customer (myself) after waiting in line and have to ask a new employee who just came on shift if I could be helped was immediately informed by the staff regarding what they were out of and what they didn't have. Here's a tip: Instead of delivering a flat "we're out," train your team to offer alternatives that keep the experience positive. If you're out of vanilla on a hot day, guide the customer toward other refreshing options. They came to you to solve a problem--thirst, hunger, comfort--and your job is to preserve that momentum. When your marketing has already done the work of getting someone to your door or onto your site, honor that investment. Even if you can't provide the exact product they wanted, create a smooth transition so you don't lose the sale, the relationship, or the goodwill. Your brand, values, and reputation are being formed in real time. Inconsistency, poor service, indifference, or discourtesy can undermine your business before it gains traction. A customer‑centered process is your competitive advantage. For customers who are trying to support your business, especially as a black owned business, you are making it hard for customers to give you their money. Please fix this.

Hey friends! I…read moredecided to stop in here after a Barre class one day and I've been hooked since! Consistently great smoothies and customer service. My usual order is a Green Warrior($11). It's so good! I really appreciate that fresh fruits rather than concentrates are used in their smoothies. And no added sugar is a super plus! Customer service is consistently friendly. Parking is free and ample. Their rewards system is one of the best systems I've signed up for. I acquire rewards often. Hope you enjoy! With love, The Picky Pescatarian

Black owned business! Great family, great smoothies! They…read moreare grateful for all of the support they have received and you can feel the love in each smoothie

From the owner: Our specialties include fresh egg white omelette's, breakfast sandwiches & our organic all natural…read moreprotein shakes/smoothies....And don't forget "We Meal Prep For You!"

I love this cafe. When I am in town from New Jersey I make a point to stop here with my teen…read moredaughter (who request to come here as well ).5 stars all around

This dope black female owned coffee cafe spot is definitely a great vibe with the walks decorated…read morein great black art. Its located on an adjacent portion of the Laurel shopping center. The impressive menu of interesting enthused caffienated or non options are many. The staff was very much attentive busy at work preparing the selections of the patrons. I chose the regular acai bowl and the 16oz Camp fire Night iced latte w/oatmilk(its a seasonal favor). I absolutely enjoyed my purchase. This place offers a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere with abundance of seating. The environment is conducive to sitting with the dazzling sun enjoying the moment at the high top or seating low chairs, doing a little reading or work on your computer. The options are up to you but the vibe and setting is everything. While sitting here enjoying my acai bowl and latte, I watched the lady come in with more beautiful black art pieces. Not that I looked specifically to seek out a female owned cafe during National female month; it was my pleasure to have patronized a dope black female owned business. I highly recommend anyone to come and visit this uplifting cafe. It definitely lives up to its name " LOVE LIFE CAFE"/ LOVE LIFE COFFEE.

I was looking for a protein filled breakfast and found good options at the Tropical Smoothie Cafe…read more The location is in the shopping center, but the parking can be a bit of a maze. I arrived a little bit after they opened, so the place was empty. The cafe was still empty and the cashier was patient and friendly. She let me look at the menu while she finished setting up in the back. She also helped with recommendations, since I was indecisive. Ended up with the Island Green smoothie and Cali Breakfast Flatbread. The flatbread was a little tough to eat, but the filling was good. The smoothie was very sweet. Overall a good experience and will come back to try other dishes/smoothies.

I ordered a plant based meal on 08/12 through the Tropical Smoothie website to receive a call that…read morethere was no plant based meat. So, that means your website is not updated. Okay. I asked for a refund and the guy told me I had to call corporate (this has happened to me before but I thought they might've updated their website and processes). I call corporate just for them to tell me they'll send a email to the manager of that store to request one and they will get it with 15 min (doesn't really help if the manager isn't there which is why I couldn't get a refund right away in the first place). A day goes by and I haven't heard anything so I call this morning, 8/14 and ask to speak with the manager. Once again he is not there. I ask if there was any supervisor or duty and the lady tells me no. At this point I'm annoyed so I ask if there is only one person in the store designated to give refunds and she replies yes. I ask for someone's contact information and then she literally passed the phone to someone else and they both begin giggling. The girl who answered had to gather her composure and I could hear them both just continuing to laugh. She tells me the girl had to deal with something and had to go. How unprofessional is that? The new lady on the phone is now telling me that I have to call the Bethesda store to speak with the manager, who is Iglicio, if I want to get in contact with him. I call and he's not there just to get a lady to simply say, "Hello." I was taken aback and had to check if I had the right number. When I asked if this was Tropical Smoothie, with an attitude she goes, "Uh, yeah." Who are you all hiring?! This is highly unacceptable to me. Corporate can't tell me when I'm gonna receive a refund because they don't have contact with the stores. They can only send request. What is the point of corporate, then? And I should not have to track someone down just to receive a refund when the site wasn't update. I would've never ordered and gone through this AGAIN. I am highly disappointed in Tropical Smoothie and livid you employ people who think it's okay to pass phones and then laugh while customers are asking for refunds and to speak to a manager. Please know that you have loss a customer and I will be advising everyone I know to never order from any of your establishment again. This experience has been frustrating, the customer service has been horrible, and it makes no sense you all don't have a central way to give customers refunds. Highly disappointed.

I love eating at this facility! They have a drink called the blue banana with blue spirulina (I…read moreprobably spelled that wrong), but you get it. The prices are good for the quality of smoothies that you get, out of all of my favorite smoothie spots. I would say this one is the best, you can customize your drinks. The customer service is good. the place is really clean, and there's a really cool vibe about it, like there's a swinging chair that you can literally sit on and just like chilling and it's never really crowded. I would highly recommend coming in here if you want to try something besides smoothie king that is also really good for you with natural ingredients. The owner is very proud of her store and everybody there seems happy which makes me really happy too.

Loveee the acai and pitaya bowls!! My go to is the mixed berry açaí and the pure pitaya, but all…read morethe other bowls were delicious as well. Will need to try other things on their menu next time!

I ate here on a Saturday in late April around 11:00AM. The line was out the door and seating was…read morepacked inside. People do seem to respect the 90MIN seating window though so you should be able to find a seat. You order and pay at the counter first and then they give you a table number card. This is how they find you to serve your food. I ordered a regular matcha latte, a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on croissant bread and their famous croffle. I loved their matcha latte. It's pre-sweetened so no need to add extra vanilla syrup or anything. This does not taste like a traditional matcha, which in my opinion tastes like dirt. This is a sweeter, dessert like matcha. I didn't care for the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. It was kind of dry and it tasted like something was missing. The croffle was amazing. It has a nutty, pecan like taste to it and it was topped with vanilla gelato and blueberries. I couldn't really taste the maple syrup but it was delicious nonetheless.

Nice coffee spot with great service and a convenient location with plenty of parking. I also…read moreappreciate that they offer healthy food options on the menu, although I didn't get a chance to try them this time. This review is specifically about the coffee. I really enjoyed the cappuccino, and I like that they offer agave as a sweetener. That said, I do wish the cappuccino had a bolder coffee flavor. On its own, it leaned a bit too milky for my taste. However, once I added an extra shot, it made a big difference, I got the richer coffee flavor I was looking for along with an extra boost. The temperature was good, but I did notice that even when I requested it extra hot, it came out the same each time, which was a bit puzzling. Overall, I'd give it 4 stars. It's a nice spot, and I would definitely come back if I'm in the area.

Fueling up for an adventure with a healthy on-the-go lunch from @riseup_nutrition…read more Definitely a pricy option but I'll treat myself every now and then!! @@jus2blkgirlseating #PeanutButterCup #onthego #travel #photography #ontheroad #breakfast #healthy #healthylifestyle #coffee #foodie #vegan #healthyfood #adventure #follow #love #fitness #food #lifestyle #summer #instagood #roadtrip #mealprep #lunch #yummy #explore #delicious #momlife #fashion #happy #glutenfree

I had a minute to stop on my way in to the barbershop. I have been wanting to try Rise Up for some…read moretime now, so I stopped in. Upon entering, I received a warm and delightful greeting from Kristin and Grace. They explained their menu concept and services they offered. It just also happened to be Wednesday and on every Wednesday, they offer waffles and each waffle with any topping of your choice. Each waffle has up to 22 grams of protein. RISE UP offers a healthy snack/meal choice for shakes, teas, and snacks. Shakes have around 24g of protein, 24 vitamins and Minerals, with up to 350 calories based on the shake option. On my first visit, I ordered the Salted Caramel Mocha. Yes, it taste as good as it sounds. On my second visit, I ordered the waffles with bananas and strawberries. It is equally as good as the shake I had. Gluten free options are available. Stop in and give Rise UP a try. They also offer fitness programs and they support those living healthier lifestyles.

I am always excited to come into a MOM store. This one being so calm makes shopping enjoyable…read more I came in for tea as they have a great selection of teas (organic and specialty). The store is as stated calm, clean and organized. Eventhough I was not greeted coming in, the staff are always friendly and never rude. Im sure whatever organic food or item you are looking for you will find it here. Stop by if in the area and grab a look or a few items. You will enjoy your time shopping or looking around.

This grocery store is so convenient for me since it's only 5 mins from my house. They have a great…read moreselection of fruits and vegetables. The place is always clean and the workers are always friendly and ready to answer questions. There is a guy there who kinda looks like Bob Marley and he always makes my day

I'm so glad I was able to find this juice bar! I was looking for a place that sells açaí bowls, and…read moreI found the right place! Nekter has very cozy seating and it's also spacious inside, so I dined in. They make fresh juices, smoothies, and others. I ordered the açaí banana berry bowl, and it was delicious. It was topped with granola, strawberry, banana, blueberry, and honey. The base used cashew milk, and it was mixed with açaí and the same fruits it was topped with. I plan on going back to try some of their fresh juices!

Went for a date day with my little daughter-…read more we ordered a smoothie & a granola bowl- both were packed with ingredients, but the ingredients weren't really what we expected. For my bowl: The caoaco nigs were actually chocolate chip morsels- the coconut shaving was coconut sweet flakes- the fruit chunks were smaller than expected. This, factoring in the price, doesn't put them high on my 'yummy acai bowl spot' list- For my daughter's smoothie, she ordered a chocolate banana pb- and we added in blueberries, but they pureed them in, where the photo had them looking big chunks dropped- and she was a bit upset. The place had great bright, clean nice couches ambiance- but it did take awhile as the only people there to actually get our items because they fill a lot of doordash tickets behind the scenes. Glad we tried, but probably going to go back to our routine spot.

The menu has everything! Açaí bowls, pitaya bowls, green smoothies, Greek yogurt bowls. You can…read moremake your own and add additional toppings/protein powder. The bowls are packed with fresh and healthy ingredients. It's a perfect snack/meal and I'd definitely come back to try other menu items.

Located in the revamped Burtonsville Crossing! I stopped by yesterday for a bowl. I was greeted…read moreright away and offered assistance. I took a minute to decide what to get. I settled on the mango berry bowl. It came with strawberries, blueberries, granola, honey and mango. It was tasty but a bit pricey.