“We celebrated our Grand Opening with Free Shake Day and it was so successful,” said Vice President of Personnel at Shakes Smart Jadah Stance. “Students seem to be excited and we’ve seen a really great response from the students.” | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Two weeks ago, Shake Smart, the smoothie shop, opened as a new dining option at the UH Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.
Construction for the new smoothie spot has been ongoing this semester. So far, students have enjoyed visiting the shop to get a taste of the new smoothies Shake Smart has to offer, especially those who regularly use the Rec Center.
“We celebrated our Grand Opening with Free Shake Day and it was so successful,” said Vice President of Personnel at Shakes Smart Jadah Stance. “Students seem to be excited and we’ve seen a really great response from the students.”
Shake Smart replaced the old Smoothie King which once previously operated in the same location at the Rec Center.
So far, students have enjoyed visiting the shop to get a taste of the new smoothies Shake Smart has to offer, especially those who regularly use the Rec Center.
“I have been here twice and the drinks are so good! I think it’s definitely an improvement from Smoothie King,” said integrated studies junior Christian Marullo.
Shake Smart is located on the first level of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center and operates Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.-7 p.m.| Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Shake Smart claims to provide healthier and better options when it comes to serving their customers as they use real fruits and vegetables, over 25 grams of protein and high-quality whey isolates, according to their website.
Marullo and other students agree that these claims stand true because they feel the smoothies taste less overwhelming sweet and less artificial compared to alternative smoothie joints.
“The main difference with us is that we incorporate protein into all of our shakes and so you’re able to get much more balanced nutrition and a great post-workout nutrition,” Stance said. “We are focused on using all-natural, wholesome ingredients and no added sugar syrup sprays or anything like that.”
Not just smoothie drinks, Shake Smart even offers other products like green tea, cold brew, a variety of toasts, sandwiches, oatmeals and bowls. They even have options like “Make it your way” and the option to turn its smoothie drinks into bowls.
Another thing that students seem to be enjoying is how user-friendly the entire smoothie place is as opposed to the rest of the campus.
“One thing I really like is how easy it was to order through their iPad,” said biomedical engineering freshman Ariadne Quintana. “My experience was super good and they even had Apple Pay which was really cool!”
Students like Marullo and Quintana expressed that the smoothies are sold at a reasonable price and don’t have any issues with the quality thus far.
While the smoothie shack offers a variety of other dining options, students feel that they could still add a few more options in the future.
“They have some really good options but they could have more,” Quintana said. “I know there’s some places that sell protein bars, I didn’t see those here.”
Overall, students seem to like Shake Smart and would recommend other students to visit too.
Shake Smart is located on the first level of the Rec Center and operates Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Fridays 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.-7 p.m.
