Kuwahara Farms — Attraction in Draper

The plan yesterday was for our whole family to get together one last time, on the last warm evening before spring--we can’t see our elderly grandparents indoors safely due to the virus so we thought visiting a pumpkin patch would be the perfect safe outdoor activity. We discussed a few different possible pumpkin patches, and a few hours beforehand I made calls to ensure that whichever pumpkin patch we chose worked out well. I was concerned to see that Kuwahara pumpkin patch had a $5/person entrance fee according to one review online, so I called them. I was told that the purpose of the entrance fee was to keep the crowds down (hilarious! keep reading!) but that if we bought a pumpkin that $5 entrance fee would be applied to the pumpkin. That sounded perfect as we each planned to buy a pumpkin and because our main concern was the safety of our grandparents and Kuwahara sounded concerned about social distancing, so we decided to meet up at Kuwahara. I arrived early in order to ensure that everything went well. I had not been told by the person on the phone that the pumpkin patch was no longer in its original location, so I first drove to the original location and then had to find my way to the new location—frustrating as turning left onto 12300 South is difficult. Google Maps led me to the exit of the “new location,” which was extremely poorly lit, making it difficult to figure out where I was supposed to be without hitting pedestrians in the dark. The parking lot was overflowing and my anxiety grew. I got to the ticket booth and found a very long line of mostly unmasked people packed together and stretching across the property, loud music playing, and crowds of unmasked children and adults visible inside as well. I couldn’t believe that the health department hadn’t shut it all down. My heart sank as I could see that our safe family activity probably was a loss. I could see through the fence that the “pumpkin patch” was not a field with pumpkins sitting among vines with lots of space for people to spread out, but was rather pumpkins lying on the bare ground in large clumps with just a few aisles running through, making social distancing impossible given the number of people they had allowed in (so much for that $5 fee keeping the crowds down—how about they just set a limit and not let more people in than it’s safe to let in?) Meanwhile, the grandparents were lost in the dark searching for the correct way in while trying to stay safe from the hordes of largely unmasked people pouring in. We then learned that the $5 fee only can be applied to a pumpkin if it is not Saturday (!!!)--I expressed my dismay to the employee doing crowd control, telling him that I had been lied to when I called ahead to learn about the entrance fee, and that I couldn’t have my elderly parents waiting in that long line of mostly unmasked people. He told me that we could purchase our tickets online and go straight in. I briefly considered that option, hoping that we could somehow pull it off safely, but when I went to the website there was no option to buy pumpkin patch tickets. When I returned to ask him about it, he confessed that he had not seen the website—he asked around and learned that those going only to the pumpkin patch had to wait in the long line. Our evening was a bust--the grandkids were so excited about the pumpkin patch that they went in with their parents and the rest of us stayed outside--the grandparents didn’t get to have any time with the kids on the last warm evening of the year. I really like the Sandy Kuwahara and have frequented it for years, but I’m so upset with their greediness and sloppiness and disregard for community health that I will be avoiding all of their businesses in the future. These are hard times for all businesses, and I intend to support those that are sacrificing profits in order to ensure that this winter is not a hellish one with overflowing hospitals and doctors/nurses collapsing from illness...

Placed two sod orders. The first order was OK and they honored the pick up date. Sod was good for the most part, with only one roll out of a pallet looking pretty dry/yellow. I went ahead and planted it hoping it would recover, but it got worse and started spreading. I am suspecting grub or some fungus. Overall I would have rated the first order with 4 starts as I could have discarded the bad roll.

I went ahead and ordered again from them and that's when things went sour. I placed and pre-paid for my order early in the week for a Saturday pick-up. Friday came around and I got a call saying they weren't getting sod that weekend because of the rain. I had rented a tiller ($60) and spent a lot of time preparing the soil, but fine I understood it was out of their control. The pick up got postponed to the next weekend. Friday came around and, again, got a call saying their harvest had broke and they wouldn't have sod available. Again I had spent time preparing the ground, but decided to give them yet another chance. Pick for next Saturday. Friday morning I get a text saying my sod was there for pick-up (as if I sat home all week throughout the day with no work or nothing else to do). I texted back and said my pick up was scheduled for Saturday and I couldn't go on Friday because I was working. I get a response saying "that will work", so Saturday morning I get a trailer and go to their location only to find out they didn't have any sod coming in that day. The lady looked at the list, saw my name on there, called the guy I had ordered from and he simply told me he had it the day before we had agreed. He then tried to push left over, bit up rolls from the day before that wouldn't even be my complete order. He then asked me to wait another 4 days. I cancelled and got a refund. No offer to make things right/better even though they have many locations that distribute sod. I realize I am a small customer (2 pallets total), but if this is how much they care, I won't be buying from this...

I have been a customer of this establishment for years. They explicitly have a sign saying you have to wear a mask. Salt Lake County Mandate due to the epidemic that we are living with. Tight quarters in the store!!! Someone walks in without a mask and I say do you know you need to wear a mask? He said yes but he left it in his car. The women working there, who I believe is one of the owners, said she had one for him but never got him one and offer it to him. The non-mask wearer left after doing his shopping and check out, but then an employee came in and was by everyone in the store and wandering around and nothing was said to him either. When checking out, I asked the women how they handle the mask wearing law with their business? She said it's not worth enforcing the law. Then the employee ( young man) started an argument with me and told me it was none of my business and to quit making a big deal out of it. I asked the women, why are you not making an employee wear a mask. No response! Then another customer who was wearing a mask, started in on me and came my directions and started coughing. The women with the man who was coughing in my directions pulled him aside. I asked the employee if he would please just step aside so I could pass and leave, which he did not comply and wouldn't stop his harassing me. The women said nothing to her employee!!! I never raised my voice and the only thing I said to the employee was that it was a Salt Lake County mandate to wear a mask. This is a great example of how little this establishment cares about their customers. My daughter is going through chemo and we have been told that if she contracts COVID19, she will die. How selfish of this establishment not to at least make their employees wear a mask when they are near their customers. SHAME ON YOU!!!! If it was possible I would...