The new Greenlane in St. Pete is on 4th Street across from Target/Publix.
Geno/BeasleyWhen you think drive thru, you think burgers, fries, fried chicken or tacos. You'll find none of that stuff at Greenlane, a drive thru salad spot that just opened in St. Petersburg. Knowing how things get chaotic when anything new opens around Tampa Bay, I was hesitant to drop by on opening day when they were offering $5 salads and wraps.
As I pulled up to the new location across from Target on 4th Street, I saw police detail. That's pretty common when stuff opens around here. I remember they even did it when Wawa first opened in St. Pete years ago. Police detail... for a gas station! They did it again when we finally got Trader Joes. It's necessary because opening day crowds require the police presence to keep things in order.
So how was Greenlane? They always say to avoid restaurants when they first open. The crew is just learning the basics. Some equipment failures can happen. And with the overwhelming number of customers, it can go horribly wrong. But today, it didn't. I like to tell stories in pictures so let's hit the drive thru and be (gulp) healthy. Yeah, that's not a word I use often.
Geno/BeasleyNo big changes to the way you're used to doing the drive thru. You can order ahead and just tell them at the speaker your name or order number. Or you can just order from the menu. No AI... at least yet.
Geno/BeasleySome poor kid had to put on that mascot costume in this 90+ degree humidity to pass out free sunglasses to welcome new customers.
Geno/BeasleyEven with the chaos of it being opening day, the police detail, mascots running around the parking lot... the service was solid. The line moved quickly. We were in and out in probably 10 minutes. By the way, there is NO indoor dining. No kids playground. It's either the drive thru or there's a walkup window.
Geno/BeasleyMy copilot went with the chicken Caesar salad. You can go with tofu if you prefer. This one has grape tomatoes, shaved parmesan, mini croutons, and creamy Caesar dressing, on a bed of romaine lettuce. This one's a little cheaper than the others... $7.99.
Geno/BeasleyBeing a guy named Geno, no shock I went with the Italian salad huh? The Tuscan Sun salad has your choice of chicken or tofu, grape tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, marinated mozzarella, salami, and Italian vinaigrette on a bed of romaine lettuce. A little salty, but really good. They don't skip on the mix ins like you see with some salads. The grilled chicken had great flavor. I loved the balsamic vinaigrette I went with. And I definitely wasn't hungry after. This one usually sells for $9.59. The marinated mozzarella is the MVP in this salad.
Other Greenlane Salads
Other salads include the Summer BBQ with turkey, pickled onions, baked beans with a BBQ ranch dressing ($9.79), a classic Cobb salad with bacon and a hard-boiled egg ($9.59), the spicy buffalo with blue cheese crumbles ($8.69), the Golden Greek with feta and olives ($8.69) and the Ginger Sesame Crunch with edamame and oranges ($8.69).
You can also opt to build your own salad. It's easy if you order online in advance on their website. I strongly prefer to do this. I'm a nerd. I do it whenever I order fast food at the drive thru now. Ordering online or via an app almost always means you get your order the way you actually ordered it.
Is Drive Thru Salad life for me?
I'm happy Greenlane is finally here on the Pinellas side. This location isn't far from the radio station is a much better option for me than the usual drive thru spots I hit on the way home. Prices are not bad. The salads were all between $7 and $10. You can get them with steak for $2 more or salmon for an extra $2.50. Drinks were about $2 or less.
You don't have to stay super healthy either. They have Miss Vickie's potato chips. For dessert, there are S'mores and Lemon Blueberry cookies for $2.49.
So yeah I think there's definitely room in my life for a drive thru salad spot. But don't think for a second I'm giving up my Big Macs, Filet-o-Fish at McDonalds, butter burgers at Culvers or that $5 biggie bag at Wendy's. But Greenlane will definitely be in that rotation on days when I want to be a little better to myself.
UP NEXT: Whataburger's return to Tampa
