NOVEMBER 2017 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 35
chocolate and coconut. She loved the taste
of this smoothie, and said that the fruits
were a perfect combination of flavors that
together blended together to taste like a
virgin Pina Colada. She liked the Bahama
Mama so much the first time that she
ordered it again on her second visit!
There are many good things to say
about the Tropical Smoothie Café food
menu, not the least of which is that with
the purchase of any food item, you can
add any smoothie for $3.99! I haven’t
tried as many of the TSC food items as
smoothies, but the items I have tried
were really delicious. Every flatbread,
sandwich, wrap or bowl comes with your
choice of chips, whole fruit, a portion of
kale/apple slaw or a cookie. You’ll find
the chips and whole fruits displayed in
baskets near the checkout counter. Fruits
include oranges, apples, and bananas, and
the chip selections appear to be the more
healthy options—including such items
as baked Lays or Sun Chips. Cookies
are individually wrapped in cellophane
bags and displayed on the counter, with
several choices available, such as chocolate
chip and snickerdoodles. The kale/
apple slaw is a popular choice
with customers who have
tried it; Gary said that many
have asked that it be available
as a fresh entrée-sized salad.
TSC currently offers two
fresh salads in addition to the
other items—Chicken Apple
Spinach and Supergreen Caesar
Chicken. The last section of
the menu features three allday
breakfast options—the
Southwest Wrap, Bacon,
Egg & Cheese Wrap, and a
Peanut Butter Banana Crunch
Flatbread which also includes
granola and honey. I am
looking forward to trying this
flatbread, as it sounds delicious,
although it doesn’t look quite
as appetizing as it sounds! The
hearty combination of a TSC
breakfast item and a healthy
smoothie is sure to sustain you
for most of the day for a total
cost of under $10.
Among the customer
favorites from the TSC food
menu are the Baja Chicken
Wrap and the Chipotle Chicken Club
Flatbread. I had the opportunity to try
the Chipotle Chicken Flatbread during
my initial visit, and my daughter and I
have eaten it again on two subsequent
occasions.It is an excellent choice with
a great flavor, made with fresh chicken,
bacon, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, pepper
jack cheese and chipotle mayo. Initially
I expected the flatbread to actually be
served “flat”; however, TSC’s flatbreads
are served folded over, similar to a taco,
which actually makes it easy to eat and/
or share. The bread was soft and perfectly
toasted, and was filled a generous serving
of chicken and the other ingredients.
The TSC Flatbreads are an excellent
value, priced at $5.99. The only other
item from the menu that I’ve tried is the
Thai Chicken Wrap, which also had an
excellent flavor, although it was slightly
smaller than I anticipated it would be.
But the combination of ingredients made
for a delicious meal. Noteworthy is that
TSC makes their own Thai peanut sauce
which adds a bit of spiciness to this wrap/
bowl. In fact, they make all of the sauces
and salsas used in the various food items,
including the roasted pineapple salsa used
in the Caribbean Jerk Chicken Wrap or
Bowl. TSC also has a unique option
for vegetarians called “Beyond Meat”,
which is a mix of various kinds of protein
that looks and tastes like chicken! This
option is available upon request at no
extra charge. All food items are made
fresh when ordered and may be eaten in
or prepared “to go”. Orders may also be
phoned in or placed using the Tropical
Smoothie Café online app. TSC also
has a Tropical Rewards app that awards
frequent purchasers with $5 for every $55
spend-just another great reason to visit
TSC and try their smoothies and food
items.
At Tropical Smoothie Café in
Pinole, Gary considers his customers to
be family. He loves seeing the smiles on
their faces when they take their first sip
of a smoothie or take a bite of one of the
savory food items offered. The café staff
are like Gary’s “kids” as he hires a lot of
young people to give them job experience
and opportunities to develop skills that
will benefit them in the future. Business
is steadily growing at TSC, and on the
day of my visit, I watched customers
steadily stream in starting around 11:00 to
purchase both food and smoothies. TSC
opens every day at 7:00 AM, and while
business usually doesn’t pick up until later
in the day, Gary is hoping to build the
early morning business, believing that
customers will benefit from a healthy start
to their day. Closing hours are currently
9:00 PM during the week, and 10:00 on
weekends; however, winter closing hours
may be reduced slightly.
I highly recommend adding Tropical
Smoothie Café to you list of favorite
places to stop in for breakfast, lunch,
or dinner, or simply to try one of their
scrumptious smoothies. First responders
and military personnel always get 15%
off their purchases, and local schools can
also work with Gary and his team to
run TSC fundraisers. Gary will work
with school representatives to provide
artwork and produce flyers to send home
with students, and 20% of all sales on a
designated day will go back to the school
organization. Spring, summer, winter or
fall, and whether it is night or day, there’s
always a reason to visit the Tropical
Smoothie Café!
TSC Carribbean Jerk Bowl
1424 Pinole Valley Road, Pinole | (510) 417-2245 | tropicalsmoothiecafe.com