Zen Leaf Evanston – Cannabis Dispensary in Evanston, Illinois

Hey, so you were asking about finding a good cannabis dispensary in Evanston? Based on what people are saying, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Some folks have had really great experiences with the staff. Like, apparently, Bayden knows a lot about weed, which is highly recommended. And someone else said Leah was incredible, super friendly and helpful, even helping them with their birthday discount when the app wasn’t picking it up for some reason. Then there's Will – sounds like a real standout! Someone said he was a pleasure to work with, had such infectious energy, and asked precise questions that helped them get to a choice sooner, which they appreciated. He also let them know about other products they might be interested in. Overall, they called him a delight! So, seems like there are definitely some great people working at the Zen Leaf cannabis dispensary in Evanston. But man, the waiting time? That's where a lot of the frustration seems to be. People have changed their reviews from positive to negative just because of the waits. Someone mentioned waiting another 20 minutes and called it a ridiculous way to run a business. Another person actually had to remove their previous 5-star review and update it because the service at this location has declined very quickly. They're talking about way too long waits these days, like 20-30 minutes, due to them only having two registers open at a time. There's a strong feeling that it might be an attempt to get customers to purchase their special club package, which apparently includes skipping the line as one of the main perks. People are waiting in line, first in line even, for 10 minutes or more while only two cashiers are working on transactions, and it took both of them over 10 minutes to finish theirs. One guy was apparently doing about 100 papers in front of him just doing paperwork, and there was a woman who was ordering right at the desk where you pick up your order, and her and the guy were browsing the whole menu together and helping her pick stuff out. Respectfully, there’s a reason you're supposed to do this on your phone or at the order kiosk in the store, not at the check out line, as one review pointed out. People have also noticed other employees milling around seemingly doing nothing who could have been manning registers but weren't, and even giving dirty looks because of visible frustration, but wouldn’t come man a register. It comes across as a super disorganized business with no sense of structure. Beyond the waits, the prices get mentioned too – described as extravagant and also tied into that potential incentive to join their prepaid subscription club just to skip the line. Don't even get me started on the prices, someone added. High prices seem to be a factor at this cannabis dispensary in Illinois, or at least this one in Evanston. A few other points came up – some love the store and the employees overall, but think those kiosks are too big and customers need more privacy. On the plus side, it seems like this place is usually much faster than the Rogers Park store, which offers a bit of perspective. So yeah, if you're looking for a recreational cannabis dispensary in Evanston, this place has some fantastic staff members, but be prepared for potentially long waits, frustrating processes, and prices that might make you think about that subscription club.