Snag-a-Salad
805 Monroe St, Conway, AR
501-327-6060
The Situation
He Said: The situation here was that it was lunchtime, I was hungry, and my wife called and said “Let’s go to lunch.” So we thought we’d try this new soup and salad place, which opened in Conway on May 23. It was, I believe, a request from one of our loyal readers.
She Said: Yes, I was coming from Jazzercise and was trying to be good after a “weighty” Fourth of July weekend. Several friends and readers had asked us to check this place out, so it seemed like a great option.
Ambiance
He Said: This is clearly a place mainly intended for takeout. Apparently they even have a delivery option that you can ask for online at https://www.mealonthefly.com/store/menu/merchant/snag-a-salad
As a takeout place, the interior is not particularly fancy. There are 11 small tables and the décor is pretty bare, though it is bright and not unpleasant. They actually have the menu painted on the wall. I suppose that would make changing the menu something of a hassle.
She Said: Yes, it’s kind of like a corporate lunchroom, but the cheeriest, friendliest one you’ve ever visited. It’s “efficient” but bright and airy. Our friend Amber happened upon us while we were there, and as we left, I noticed her sitting with her lunch and earbuds, and it seemed like a great place to get away from your desk and spend quality time with some salad greens and your favorite podcast.
Drinks
He Said: Pretty much no choice here: they have three possible drinks: sweetened iced tea, unsweetened iced tea, and lemonade. These are dispensed through coolers in the dining area.
She Said: Yes, I was hoping for unsweet tea and I got it. The lemonade option was confusing to me: There’s a dispenser for “Water for lemonade” but I was not sure what that meant. If I had ordered it, I guess they would have told me.
Food
He Said: They have 12 different kinds of salad here, from Greek to Chinese Chicken to Italian to BLT. They also have a variety of fresh dressings that they make from scratch, though when we were there they were out of three kinds of dressing. In addition, there is a soup of the day every day. I opted for the small soup and salad combination. I ordered the Turkey Taco salad, which looked pretty low fat as long as I requested that they leave out the olives that usually come with it. The salad was made up of ground turkey and kidney beans, with scallions and grape tomatoes and mixed greens. The “taco” element was bolstered by tortilla strips and a sprinkling of Jack cheese, which I could have (maybe should have) left off to make it even freer of fat. But it was a delicious combination, made even tastier by the also low-fat Southwest Chipotle Honey Lime dressing. The soup of the day was Santa Fe Tortilla Soup, which seemed a perfect complement to the salad. The soup was fine, about what you’d expect from Tortilla Soup. Nothing spectacular but certainly not bad, and worth having.
She Said: I had a tough time choosing, as there were so many delicious-looking options. Finally, I chose the small Berry Chicken salad, with dried cranberries, blueberries and other fruit, along with feta cheese, mixed greens and lots of chicken. They were out of my salad’s dressing, Ruud, so I asked the saladwright which dressings would work best with my salad of those they had. She suggested the ranch, which I thought was heavier than I wanted, but it came on the side, so I could regulate it. The salad was delicious, and I really dug into it. My only complaint was that there weren’t more greens, as it seemed the toppings overwhelmed the actual salad. But that’s a niggling detail. It was good stuff, and my weigh-in the next day was quite positive.
Service
He Said: You order here at the counter, where the people are friendly and helpful while they make your salad. It’s a bit odd in that you don’t get a bill or check. As you leave the person at the cash register asks you what you had. I can’t see that as a very efficient system if they get many eat-in customers-it seems to be set up specifically for carry out.
She Said: Yeah, I felt a little worried for Snag-a-Salad because the service-to-pay system seemed very honor-system-y. If they had a big rush, there’d be no way for them to know if what I’m telling them I ate is what I actually bought. I think they really are focused on take-away and delivery, so I hope this doesn’t hurt them. But everyone was SUPER friendly. There were plenty of staffers to wait on customers and direct them. I had a ton of questions because I wasn’t sure how the process worked there, and they were all very welcoming and helpful.
What We Got and What We Paid: A small berry chicken salad, a small turkey taco salad, tortilla soup and two drinks. DO YOU HAVE THE RECEIPT?
Rating:
He Said: I will definitely go back here, or more likely order food to pick up. It’s good food, it’s fresh, and it’s pretty healthy.
She Said: What He said.
So…He Said and She Said: Go here for healthy salads, either eat-in or take-away.