The Original Soup Man

Has anyone eaten here? It's the chain started by the Soup Nazi of Seinfeld fame. They just opened a franchise in my town and wonder if its as good as they say.

Go there as soon as you get the chance! I've been to one of them in NYC and the soup was fantastic! The crab bisque is my favorite!

<<Go there as soon as you get the chance! I've been to one of them in NYC and the soup was fantastic!>>

I do not agree at all. There are two in the Wall Street area where I work, and in both places the soup was way too salty. The flavor was OK but not nearly as good as I was hoping for. And at $20 for a quart of bean soup it was the most expensive soup I've ever had, including upscale restaurants.

I've never been to the original, so maybe that is better. I've read that several of the branches are either closing or in danger of closing, so they've definately expanded too fast. The Soup Nazi can't be everywhere at once to monitor the operations, and the help at the two locations I went to seemed to be of the clueless fast food counterperson variety. --Ken

We are talking about an updated version of the Howard Johnson food manufacturing plants here. The company, Soup Kitchen International, manufactures all the soup in Piscataway, NJ. It is then shipped frozen to the franchisees. It is also sold in some retail stores around my way. People I know who work on the west side of town say it is not as good as when the soup was made and sold fresh at the original store.

If its not made fresh on site, I dont' want it...thanks for the info!!

They are distributing the soup to grocery stores now. We got some in stock at my store but it is EXPENSIVE. We are having trouble selling it and even knocked off $1, we'll see

There is no frikkin way I'd ever pay 20 bucks for a quart of bean soup. Even in Manhattan.

The one here in Bonita Springs opened up last spring in a fancy new shopping center (right next to the movie theater) and promptly closed down last month. Nobody would pay their kind of prices.
The owner (franchisee) blamed it on the shopping center management. Oh well!

QFan
Bonita Springs, FL

Joseph A. Campbell wasn't the original soup man in the US? I guess history is a funny thing...the more we have of it the more it changes.

This showed up in my local Brookshires crocery deli, 4 bucks for ?? 11 oz. I think? I almost bought the turkey chili. It looked good. They had about 6 kinds of soup.

Has anyone tried this stuff?
Joe

TOTAL RIP OFF. There is one in Princeton NJ and the prices are nuts. It's OK soup, but the shop is really small so I doubt they make it fresh. It's like $6+ for as small, when I can go to a deli, get fresh made soup for half the price. It's playuing off the Seinfeld thing more then anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

There is no frikkin way I'd ever pay 20 bucks for a quart of bean soup. Even in Manhattan.

Me, niether!

There was one in Ottawa, Ontario (about 50min from where I live) in the Bayshore Shopping Center food court. I gave it a try, and the lobster bisque was very good...but they were only in business for about 6 months because it was just too expensive for most people.

I have been to one in Ridgewood NJ-the Crab Bisque soup is sooo good-but very expensive for soup-large chunks of king crab-other soup is ok but Crab and Lobster Bisque are the best.

NO SOUP FOR YOU COMEBACK 1 YEAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpjCn_2H6kE
...Russ