O'Naturals

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

As a vegetarian, O'Natural's selection of healthy food in a casual eco-friendly cafeteria is my family's favorite place to eat. I have always imagined the "O" is for "organic," And the Irish sounding name is a play on the Scottish-derived McDonalds. Except McDonalds is a very disappointing fast-food place for any palate with discretion, and useless to a vegetarian-- whereas O'Naturals is the dream-come-true alternative.
The prices are nowhere near as cheap as that of an irresponsible Food Nation-type fast-food place like Burger King or Wendy's. I pay $18 for two at O'Naturals, typically, which can go higher if I have a glass of wine or a fancy cookie or brownie for dessert. But O'Naturals is environmentally responsible, which costs a bit more but saves resources and the earth in the long run, and secondly, is a cafeteria with real food, not a fast-food place.
The founder of the O'Naturals chain (one in Acton, two more in Maine and the first franchise in Kansas, I think) is the same guy from Stoneyfield Farm yogurt--the environmentally-conscious organic yogurt company in southern NH that doesn't use bovine growth hormone, RgBH, to stimulate milk production in their cows. O'Naturals offers sustainably farmed salmon, organic beef and chicken, and tofu. They deal directly with fair-trade providers of coffee and tea.
I know all this because the company places signage on the walls that describes their practices. The tables, floors, and walls in the restaurant and bathroom have little labels telling you how the building materials were recycled or salvaged. They do offer food "to go," but if you eat in, trash waste is minimized because the food is served in rugged WASHABLE (GASP!) plates and bowls with camp-style steel utensils. There's a container for recycled glass.
And the FOOD! The FOOD!! Oh, my kingdom for the food. My son (11) is addicted to the Teriyaki Udon noodles with salmon. I like the build-my-own salad (I have a thing for cilantro) or the amazing soup selection--ginger-carrot being a favorite. I sometimes wish they offered regular soda, but the choices at the dispenser are limited to non-artifically flavored, raw-sugar-type good-for-you beverages. I prefer the fresh lemonade or water or bottled Honest-Tea.
As for service, I give fair-to-middlin' marks to the teen-age hipsters they tend to hire. The staff evokes of a bit of Burlington, VT, with piercings and dreads; some of them are sweet and happy to accomodate, while others appear bored and annoyed (which they probably are, being teens).
In San Francisco, restaurants like this are much more common. But I feel fortunate to have one of the few "starter" O'Naturals in Acton! I often think about buying stock in this company (if I had the first clue how to go about that).
I hope you visit and appreciate it as much as we do!

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User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Overpriced: Nice set-up, good flow through, excellent flat bread, but way overpriced for salads, soups and fast food grilled "asian look-alike" foods.

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