I am a huge believer in customer service, and I was absolutely appalled at the experience I recently had at Crispers in Lake Mary. As a former hospitality industry employee, with gigs at numerous restaurants throughout my college career, and a stint as an intern at Disney, I try to be pretty understanding of busy schedules and misunderstands- but even I have my limits. I went to Crispers around 1pm on a weekday with a small group of co-workers to grab some lunch and chat about upcoming projects. We frequently take working lunches in the area and are no strangers to the Lake Mary lunch scene. To make our orders less complicated, we ordered in two groups of 3 and 4, and then had one co-worker come in a few minutes later and place an order. While I understand Crispers is a quick-service restaurant, and not expected to be as fast as a McDonald's or Burger King, I expect the food to come in 1/2 hour, max. We inquired once or twice around the 20-30 minute mark regarding our order; it wasn't too busy, and other tables who had arrived after our group were getting their food. 45 minutes later, the last person in our group (we'll call him the lone orderer) got his food...and we were still waiting on the rest. We work on tight deadlines, and decided to save time, we'd ask for our food to go.... Tick...tick...tick... another 15 minutes and the original (read: non-to go) orders hadn't come out yet. We were assured they were coming. About 5-10 minutes after that, we were begrudgingly given 1/2 our order..and after several minutes of insisting 7 people could not subsist off of three lunches, the rest of the food showed up. At this point we were all starving, angry, and impatient to get out the door, so when the manager offered to mail us coupons I a) laughed in my head- MAIL? really?! b) agreed and wrote down my address and c) scored 1 free mini dessert for the 7 of us to share (yay). I didn't expect to see the coupons ever show up, and was fully ready to claim my reward in person when they didn't arrive. I shared our awful experience online via Twitter and Facebook (part of my job is social media so I love to share) on the corporate Crispers profiles. Two days later, I check back to see what kind of response the kind folks at corporate would have to my experience. Their response? To delete mine! While I understand it doesn't look good for business to have a negative review, you are not doing yourself any favors, Crispers. Now you've not only pissed off a blogger for a decent-sized tech company, but you've also further fanned the flames by your lack of response and reaction to my feedback. Wrong move. We did actually receive coupons about two weeks later (please keep in mind our office is 2 blocks down the road; I've received mail from Spain faster than that). I opened the envelope and saw....two coupons. Two. For individual meals. There were SEVEN of us. Really?! Not only do I not plan on using those coupons, I have further explained my story here, where hopefully readers take caution, and our entire company, who orders group lunches on a daily basis, will never, EVER provide Crispers with any business. I guess happy customers aren't important to all businesses, but way to take the wrong path at every fork in the road, Crispers. I now am a lifelong ban, not fan.
(1)
Kim B.
Food is good when they actually have what you want
(3)
Nicole F.
I've been coming here for years whenever I was in town for their salads and flat breads. Now that I live in the area, I come at least once a week. Stand out salads are the Thai and Caribbean chicken. That can be a lit skimpy on the dressing tho. I usually have to ask for more. They also feature half price drinks on the smoothies and shakes on week days.
(5)
Silver D.
Like panera but better portion size and you don't have to beg for extra dressing. Also very reasonably priced. Love it!
(4)
Mary S.
Their Butternut Squash soup is to die for! It has so much flavor...very full-bodied! Just sayin...
(3)
Lisa T.
Great flat breads and they are on wheat....yeah Half price too boot. Everyday 3 to 5 pm. What a great deal.
(5)
Ann H.
I'm impressed with Crispers. I'm not sure I totally understand the bad reviews, because this location delivered on its simple concept. As a Florida-based chain (yay for Florida), they're a nice alternative to Panera, offering the same kind of food, but with less hype. There are salads and sandwiches, plain and flatbread, soups, and wraps and several vegetarian and gluten-free choices. Although I've only visited a couple of times -- it's an easy walk from the hotel -- everything I had was good. The Caesar salad was fresh, with only a light touch of dressing - which I much prefer to having my salad saturated or having to ask for the dressing on the side -- and a turkey cranwich, served warm, with apples, cranberry sauce, swiss cheese, and smoked turkey. The flavors blended well. Maybe having that sandwich served warm is the secret. Or, maybe it just reminded me of my favorite holiday. Service was friendly, the order delivered quickly. Between that and the portion sizes, Crispers is a decent lunch spot that didn't leave me needing a nap later. For a light dinner, this place still worked, partly because it wasn't that crowded and it was easy to get things to go.
(4)
Tushar A.
I love their thai chicken flatbread pizza with butternut squash soup! Soal food for me whenever I come here.
(4)
Albert P.
Just a good place to get a quick lunch....
(3)
George B.
Love the location, it's located in a very classy, upscale mall, close to a Menchies and a World of Beer. I visited during the middle of lunch rush, and ordered the half Caribbean salad and Tuna salad sandwich. It seemed to take a while for the food to arrive, and when I started eating my salad, I thought "wow! This was worth the wait." The salad was wonderful, big chunks of chicken, and pieces of mango. But when I got to the sandwich I was very disappointed, the bread was very dry, kind of stale, and the tuna salad was mostly mayonnaise, and kept oozing out of the sandwich. I gave it three stars due to the awesome salad, but who ever crafts the sandwiches needs to make sure they pay attention to the quality of the engredients.
(3)
Brian B.
Worst place to eat in this complex the butternut squash soup tasted good but it was Luke warm the French dip is small very little meat served cold when it shoukd be hot with a cup of warm brown water no flavor at all to the Au jus kids free dessert you have stand in line for 10 minutes before they get you your teaspoon of ice cream be smart eat at liars or dexters or any where in this complex for better experince
(1)
Ben B.
The food is very good when it arrives, but it's kind of like being at the airport. It's on time most of the time, but when they miss, they miss. There have been several times that one member of a group I'm in has to wait a lot longer than the others or ask to find out that something has been forgotten. Great soups and flatbreads with fresh ingredients and big flavor but the prices are noticeably higher than other lunch places. The quality is good but it seems a dollar or two more expensive than it should be.
(2)
Mike N.
Been a bunch of times, never a complaint. Food is always very fresh and well prepared. If you're feeling indulgent, the biscotti brownie explosion is out of this world. They have plenty of light options too, and they are actually reasonably filling without having to feel bloated and lethargic afterward. I'm a sucker for getting to try as many menu options as possible in one sitting, so the trio is perfect for diners like myself. The lettuce cups are my favorite.
(4)
Leslie W.
Their manager knows all about exceptional customer service! Last time I was here, they forgot to make my salad. My friend was almost finished before we got someone's attention. Now I've always had a good experience here but this one turned out to be exceptional. The manager personally brought out my salad and offered both my friend and me free dessert. He said he'd come back in 5 or so minutes to see if we needed anything else. We had to order another salad to-go for a friend, while not necessary, they gave us that salad for free in addition to our free dessert. In my opinion, the sincere apology we received and free dessert offer was more than enough to seal my continued approval of Crispers but the additional free salad definitely has made me a loyal patron of this Crispers. Love their food. Love their customer service. I recommend :)
(4)
Rod H.
I like all the choices of soup, salads, flat breads, and sandwiches. Sometimes I feel like its over priced, that is why I gave 3 stars instead of 4.
(3)
Roxanne H.
We stopped here after a volleyball tournament. The service was fast and the sandwiches were really good. We had a Cuban and an Asiago beef. The strawberry smoothie was also excellent. Good stop off of I-4 when you are hungry and in a hurry.
(4)
Jammy S.
The food was good and the cashier was kind and attentive. I ordered takeout. The chicken noodle soup and pesto chicken sandwich was good.
(3)
Sarah F.
I have been here probably over 50 times. I have only encountered an issue ONCE: they made a regular Reuben for my dad instead of turkey, and then when they remade it, the cook sent it out on the same bread. The manager noticed before we did, apologized profusely, and gave us a coupon for a comped meal. When I used it, the cashier used it to comp the most expensive item in my order. No issues there. Their ingredients are high quality, especially their salads. It's hard to get a salad anywhere with good lettuce/greens, but they're delicious here. The meats are excellent, breads are yummy, and desserts are good. Some items may not be perfect (their Cuban sandwich is not truly comparable to a Cuban restaurant, for example), but their standards are truly delicious. This is a consistent go-to place and one I recommend often to friends and out-of-towners. I've always found the service to be very quick and attentive--I am truly shocked by non-positive reviews of this place, as I've never had anything but a great experience.
(4)
Carl P.
Food was decent, I had the southwestern salad. But what will keep me coming back was the great customer service Olivia had provided. It's not everyday that you meet someone with such great energy, it really cheers up someone's day. Thanks so much, Olivia!
(5)
Jean S.
Good food, overpriced and SUPER SLOW. There was about 3 people in the restaurant. Good thing I wasn't starving to death. 35 minutes for a flatbread and soup, forgot pecans on the salad. They did apologize and gave a free dessert.
(1)
Julie R.
I was a little taken aback by the bad reviews of this place. My experience was nice. I was pleasantly surprised by all the vegetarian options for me (2 veg soups and LOTS of salads and a couple veg sandwiches). I got a butternut squash soup that was fantastic, and a baked potato. Now, I have to say, the baked potato was the littlest thing I have ever seen! But, it didn't cost much so it didn't matter. It was a big, hearty bowl of soup and, again, it was delicious. I also had a fantastic mango tea. It was very cheap to eat here. The place was super-clean and the girl behind the counder was very nice and pleasant. I asked something about the soup and she didn't know the answer so she sought out the manager to answer my question; I appreciate that. You order at the counter, take a number, get your drink then sit down - they bring you your food. There are lots of tables and lots of booths to sit at; there are also outdoor tables. The service was quick and efficient. I'll be back because I liked all the vegetarian options I had.
(4)
Lisa G.
We were in town for a soccer tournament over the weekend and needed a sandwich shop. Crispers was close to our hotel so we opted for there instead of Panera Bread since it was more convenient. Although the food was good, the service was not. We went to lunch there twice and both times orders were not correct and many things were missing. The last day they were out of almost of everything. No romaine lettuce, no potato salad and no crackers for the soup. That was really disappointing. I had the southwest salad and it was really good. I also had the potato soup and it was fine. I just wish the service had been better.
(2)
Tbug T.
Went to the Lake Mary location on 8-3-2012. My wife and I both ordered the pick two. My wife's sandwich was the normal size but my sandwich was half of a half sandwich! It was so small that it only took a few bites to complete. There was very little turkey on it also. I chose the loaded potato soup but there were not any potatoes in it, just a creamy sauce! I paid 18 dollars for these two meals and feel cheated.
(1)
Steve N.
The service here is good, and the employees are very nice. However, the food could use some work. More choices than say, Panera... but Panera is certainly much, much better!
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Dina R.
I am a huge believer in customer service, and I was absolutely appalled at the experience I recently had at Crispers in Lake Mary. As a former hospitality industry employee, with gigs at numerous restaurants throughout my college career, and a stint as an intern at Disney, I try to be pretty understanding of busy schedules and misunderstands- but even I have my limits. I went to Crispers around 1pm on a weekday with a small group of co-workers to grab some lunch and chat about upcoming projects. We frequently take working lunches in the area and are no strangers to the Lake Mary lunch scene. To make our orders less complicated, we ordered in two groups of 3 and 4, and then had one co-worker come in a few minutes later and place an order. While I understand Crispers is a quick-service restaurant, and not expected to be as fast as a McDonald's or Burger King, I expect the food to come in 1/2 hour, max. We inquired once or twice around the 20-30 minute mark regarding our order; it wasn't too busy, and other tables who had arrived after our group were getting their food. 45 minutes later, the last person in our group (we'll call him the lone orderer) got his food...and we were still waiting on the rest. We work on tight deadlines, and decided to save time, we'd ask for our food to go.... Tick...tick...tick... another 15 minutes and the original (read: non-to go) orders hadn't come out yet. We were assured they were coming. About 5-10 minutes after that, we were begrudgingly given 1/2 our order..and after several minutes of insisting 7 people could not subsist off of three lunches, the rest of the food showed up. At this point we were all starving, angry, and impatient to get out the door, so when the manager offered to mail us coupons I a) laughed in my head- MAIL? really?! b) agreed and wrote down my address and c) scored 1 free mini dessert for the 7 of us to share (yay). I didn't expect to see the coupons ever show up, and was fully ready to claim my reward in person when they didn't arrive. I shared our awful experience online via Twitter and Facebook (part of my job is social media so I love to share) on the corporate Crispers profiles. Two days later, I check back to see what kind of response the kind folks at corporate would have to my experience. Their response? To delete mine! While I understand it doesn't look good for business to have a negative review, you are not doing yourself any favors, Crispers. Now you've not only pissed off a blogger for a decent-sized tech company, but you've also further fanned the flames by your lack of response and reaction to my feedback. Wrong move. We did actually receive coupons about two weeks later (please keep in mind our office is 2 blocks down the road; I've received mail from Spain faster than that). I opened the envelope and saw....two coupons. Two. For individual meals. There were SEVEN of us. Really?! Not only do I not plan on using those coupons, I have further explained my story here, where hopefully readers take caution, and our entire company, who orders group lunches on a daily basis, will never, EVER provide Crispers with any business. I guess happy customers aren't important to all businesses, but way to take the wrong path at every fork in the road, Crispers. I now am a lifelong ban, not fan.
(1)Kim B.
Food is good when they actually have what you want
(3)Nicole F.
I've been coming here for years whenever I was in town for their salads and flat breads. Now that I live in the area, I come at least once a week. Stand out salads are the Thai and Caribbean chicken. That can be a lit skimpy on the dressing tho. I usually have to ask for more. They also feature half price drinks on the smoothies and shakes on week days.
(5)Silver D.
Like panera but better portion size and you don't have to beg for extra dressing. Also very reasonably priced. Love it!
(4)Mary S.
Their Butternut Squash soup is to die for! It has so much flavor...very full-bodied! Just sayin...
(3)Lisa T.
Great flat breads and they are on wheat....yeah Half price too boot. Everyday 3 to 5 pm. What a great deal.
(5)Ann H.
I'm impressed with Crispers. I'm not sure I totally understand the bad reviews, because this location delivered on its simple concept. As a Florida-based chain (yay for Florida), they're a nice alternative to Panera, offering the same kind of food, but with less hype. There are salads and sandwiches, plain and flatbread, soups, and wraps and several vegetarian and gluten-free choices. Although I've only visited a couple of times -- it's an easy walk from the hotel -- everything I had was good. The Caesar salad was fresh, with only a light touch of dressing - which I much prefer to having my salad saturated or having to ask for the dressing on the side -- and a turkey cranwich, served warm, with apples, cranberry sauce, swiss cheese, and smoked turkey. The flavors blended well. Maybe having that sandwich served warm is the secret. Or, maybe it just reminded me of my favorite holiday. Service was friendly, the order delivered quickly. Between that and the portion sizes, Crispers is a decent lunch spot that didn't leave me needing a nap later. For a light dinner, this place still worked, partly because it wasn't that crowded and it was easy to get things to go.
(4)Tushar A.
I love their thai chicken flatbread pizza with butternut squash soup! Soal food for me whenever I come here.
(4)Albert P.
Just a good place to get a quick lunch....
(3)George B.
Love the location, it's located in a very classy, upscale mall, close to a Menchies and a World of Beer. I visited during the middle of lunch rush, and ordered the half Caribbean salad and Tuna salad sandwich. It seemed to take a while for the food to arrive, and when I started eating my salad, I thought "wow! This was worth the wait." The salad was wonderful, big chunks of chicken, and pieces of mango. But when I got to the sandwich I was very disappointed, the bread was very dry, kind of stale, and the tuna salad was mostly mayonnaise, and kept oozing out of the sandwich. I gave it three stars due to the awesome salad, but who ever crafts the sandwiches needs to make sure they pay attention to the quality of the engredients.
(3)Brian B.
Worst place to eat in this complex the butternut squash soup tasted good but it was Luke warm the French dip is small very little meat served cold when it shoukd be hot with a cup of warm brown water no flavor at all to the Au jus kids free dessert you have stand in line for 10 minutes before they get you your teaspoon of ice cream be smart eat at liars or dexters or any where in this complex for better experince
(1)Ben B.
The food is very good when it arrives, but it's kind of like being at the airport. It's on time most of the time, but when they miss, they miss. There have been several times that one member of a group I'm in has to wait a lot longer than the others or ask to find out that something has been forgotten. Great soups and flatbreads with fresh ingredients and big flavor but the prices are noticeably higher than other lunch places. The quality is good but it seems a dollar or two more expensive than it should be.
(2)Mike N.
Been a bunch of times, never a complaint. Food is always very fresh and well prepared. If you're feeling indulgent, the biscotti brownie explosion is out of this world. They have plenty of light options too, and they are actually reasonably filling without having to feel bloated and lethargic afterward. I'm a sucker for getting to try as many menu options as possible in one sitting, so the trio is perfect for diners like myself. The lettuce cups are my favorite.
(4)Leslie W.
Their manager knows all about exceptional customer service! Last time I was here, they forgot to make my salad. My friend was almost finished before we got someone's attention. Now I've always had a good experience here but this one turned out to be exceptional. The manager personally brought out my salad and offered both my friend and me free dessert. He said he'd come back in 5 or so minutes to see if we needed anything else. We had to order another salad to-go for a friend, while not necessary, they gave us that salad for free in addition to our free dessert. In my opinion, the sincere apology we received and free dessert offer was more than enough to seal my continued approval of Crispers but the additional free salad definitely has made me a loyal patron of this Crispers. Love their food. Love their customer service. I recommend :)
(4)Rod H.
I like all the choices of soup, salads, flat breads, and sandwiches. Sometimes I feel like its over priced, that is why I gave 3 stars instead of 4.
(3)Roxanne H.
We stopped here after a volleyball tournament. The service was fast and the sandwiches were really good. We had a Cuban and an Asiago beef. The strawberry smoothie was also excellent. Good stop off of I-4 when you are hungry and in a hurry.
(4)Jammy S.
The food was good and the cashier was kind and attentive. I ordered takeout. The chicken noodle soup and pesto chicken sandwich was good.
(3)Sarah F.
I have been here probably over 50 times. I have only encountered an issue ONCE: they made a regular Reuben for my dad instead of turkey, and then when they remade it, the cook sent it out on the same bread. The manager noticed before we did, apologized profusely, and gave us a coupon for a comped meal. When I used it, the cashier used it to comp the most expensive item in my order. No issues there. Their ingredients are high quality, especially their salads. It's hard to get a salad anywhere with good lettuce/greens, but they're delicious here. The meats are excellent, breads are yummy, and desserts are good. Some items may not be perfect (their Cuban sandwich is not truly comparable to a Cuban restaurant, for example), but their standards are truly delicious. This is a consistent go-to place and one I recommend often to friends and out-of-towners. I've always found the service to be very quick and attentive--I am truly shocked by non-positive reviews of this place, as I've never had anything but a great experience.
(4)Carl P.
Food was decent, I had the southwestern salad. But what will keep me coming back was the great customer service Olivia had provided. It's not everyday that you meet someone with such great energy, it really cheers up someone's day. Thanks so much, Olivia!
(5)Jean S.
Good food, overpriced and SUPER SLOW. There was about 3 people in the restaurant. Good thing I wasn't starving to death. 35 minutes for a flatbread and soup, forgot pecans on the salad. They did apologize and gave a free dessert.
(1)Julie R.
I was a little taken aback by the bad reviews of this place. My experience was nice. I was pleasantly surprised by all the vegetarian options for me (2 veg soups and LOTS of salads and a couple veg sandwiches). I got a butternut squash soup that was fantastic, and a baked potato. Now, I have to say, the baked potato was the littlest thing I have ever seen! But, it didn't cost much so it didn't matter. It was a big, hearty bowl of soup and, again, it was delicious. I also had a fantastic mango tea. It was very cheap to eat here. The place was super-clean and the girl behind the counder was very nice and pleasant. I asked something about the soup and she didn't know the answer so she sought out the manager to answer my question; I appreciate that. You order at the counter, take a number, get your drink then sit down - they bring you your food. There are lots of tables and lots of booths to sit at; there are also outdoor tables. The service was quick and efficient. I'll be back because I liked all the vegetarian options I had.
(4)Lisa G.
We were in town for a soccer tournament over the weekend and needed a sandwich shop. Crispers was close to our hotel so we opted for there instead of Panera Bread since it was more convenient. Although the food was good, the service was not. We went to lunch there twice and both times orders were not correct and many things were missing. The last day they were out of almost of everything. No romaine lettuce, no potato salad and no crackers for the soup. That was really disappointing. I had the southwest salad and it was really good. I also had the potato soup and it was fine. I just wish the service had been better.
(2)Tbug T.
Went to the Lake Mary location on 8-3-2012. My wife and I both ordered the pick two. My wife's sandwich was the normal size but my sandwich was half of a half sandwich! It was so small that it only took a few bites to complete. There was very little turkey on it also. I chose the loaded potato soup but there were not any potatoes in it, just a creamy sauce! I paid 18 dollars for these two meals and feel cheated.
(1)Steve N.
The service here is good, and the employees are very nice. However, the food could use some work. More choices than say, Panera... but Panera is certainly much, much better!
(2)