Salad was always at the bottom of my list of things to eat. It’s cold, it doesn’t taste like anything, and why do I always have to pay extra for meat? Every time we eat at a buffet, I always skip the salad bar, but when I’m at Souplantation, what would I even eat if I don’t eat salad?
Whenever we go to Souplantation, I would ask, Do we really have to eat there? Can’t we go to Home Town Buffet instead? I didn’t want to go because I didn’t like salad and I wanted to eat meat. Plus, soup doesn’t even make you full. It just never made sense for me to pay to eat at a buffet that doesn’t even have things I like to eat, but Souplantation always had the better coupons and the line for Home Town Buffet was always out the door. The one good thing I knew about Souplantation was their Big Chunk Chicken Noodle Soup. It had chicken. I wasn’t a fan of the texture of the chicken, but at least it’s meat!
The first few times I went to Souplantation was quite an experience. I was probably not even 10 years old yet and didn’t really understand that all the food at the salad bar is cold. I skipped the salad (obviously), got the rotini rainbow pasta thinking that it’s like the hot pasta I’ve had at home, reached for my favorite broccoli, and got a ton of sliced mushrooms. It was pretty disappointing when I finally put it in my mouth and learned that it was all cold and bland. I didn’t want to waste all that food I got, so I decided to warm it up with soup! Luckily, I was more prepared for some of the other items I got from the salad bar. The Tuna Tarragon Pasta Salad quickly became a favorite, and you can’t really go wrong with shredded yellow cheddar and seasoned croutons!
It took some time before I finally tried the salad. The first salad that I tried and actually liked was Wonton Happiness, and the only reason I tried it was because it had chicken in it. From that moment on, I started looking forward to Souplantation. I knew exactly what I wanted to eat, and I have my list of things-I-must-eat-when-I’m-at-Souplantation.
My Typical Meal at Souplantation
I walk into Souplantation, and the first thing I grab is a tray and two plates – one plate for my salad and another plate for my sides. I fill the first plate with Wonton Happiness. The first few times I’ve had it, there was chicken in it, but in recent years, there’s no chicken anymore, but I still love it and get it! I add red onions, shredded yellow cheddar, and seasoned croutons on top, and cucumbers and hard boiled eggs on the side of the salad. I love eating raw onions, so adding that to my salad makes it ten times better. Over the years, I’ve realized how refreshing it is to eat salad, and started to really appreciate the times I get to go to Souplantation.
On my second plate, I put two scoops of Tuna Tarragon Pasta Salad, with shredded yellow cheddar on top, and mushrooms on the side, preferably not touching the Tuna Tarragon Pasta Salad. If there is another interesting salad to try, I would also put it on the second plate. For my dressing, I would get either the House-Made Ranch or Thousand Island. Since Wonton Happiness already has its own dressing, I use the dressing for my cucumbers and the chicken from the soup.
At the cashier, I would grab one knife, two forks, and three to four spoons. The knife is for spreading butter on my sourdough. One fork will be for my salad and the other fork will be for my macaroni and cheese. The spoons are for my soup. I typically get a cup for cold water with lemon, but don’t really drink a lot of water when I’m at Souplantation – I drink soup instead! Before I even sit down, I take my plates, utensils, and dressing off of the tray and put the tray to the side so there is more space on the table.
It is time to eat! I start with my salad, then alternate between eating my salad and the Tuna Tarragon Pasta Salad. I like to finish them at the same time. I wait until I’m almost done with my two plates before getting soup so that I don’t eat cold food and hot food together.
When it comes to soup, I like that warm feeling you get from drinking it. It warms up your whole body and makes you go, Mmm! I usually get two bowls every round, one in each hand – it saves you a trip! I start with the Big Chunk Chicken Noodle Soup, with more chicken and less noodle. I add in green onions and white onions, plus the mushrooms I got from the salad bar. Occasionally, I will add in some bacon bits. The other two soups I would get is the Yankee Clipper Clam Chowder with Bacon and the Cream of Mushroom Soup. These soups are thicker and have a lot of flavor, so I would get only half a bowl each with no additional toppings.
When it’s pasta time, I get the Classic Macaroni & Cheese. The mac & cheese here is so cheesy – I love it! I will also add in some bacon bits on top. Even though I like it a lot, I try not to get more than two scoops since there’s already so much to eat!
At the bakery section, I like to get the sourdough bread and the focaccia. If there’s a good small-sized baked potato, I would get that too. With the potato, I cut it in half, put in some shredded cheese, then wrap it up again. Once the cheese is melted, I separate the flesh from the skin and put it into another bowl, then smash it until it’s not too chunky. Finally, I mix in green onions and sour cream and take a bite. It’s delicious!
I’m not too big of a fan of dessert, but I really like the vanilla soft serve at Souplantation and the tapioca pudding! There were a few times when the staff would walk around and offer us free cookies for the table too. It was always very exciting, and a perfect way to end my meal!
Aside from the great food, the staff was also very friendly. They are always checking in to make sure your meal is going well. They offer to help you with the soup if they see you struggling. They help you heat up your sourdough if you would like, and even bring it out to you at your table.
With Souplantation unable to re-open due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I am sad to see it go. It has gone from the restaurant I never looked forward to eating at to the restaurant I would crave getting salad at. If I had never tried Wonton Happiness, maybe I would still not like salad right now. I will miss the amazing salad bar, the tasty soup, the cheesy mac and cheese, and of course, the vanilla soft serve and tapioca pudding! It’s hard to say if anything like Souplantation will ever return or emerge, but until that happens, I will “See you next thyme!”