CAVA — Restaurant in Alabama

Ah, yes… let me tell you, my friend. Sit down. I will tell you about this place—Cava, in Madison, Alabama. Now listen closely. I am old, my knees sound like dry olives when I walk, and I do not waste time on bad food. But this place? This Cava? It made me feel young again. Like I was back in my village, under the fig tree, watching my mother stir lentils over the fire while my uncle shouted about goats.

When you walk in, it is clean, bright—so bright I thought maybe I had died and gone to the good part of the afterlife, where feta rains from the sky and everyone smells like lemon and olive oil. The young people behind the counter, they are quick and smiling. They say, “Hello sir,” and I say, “Eh! I’m just here to eat, not get married,” and they laugh. Good kids.

Now the food—the food! You pick what you want, and they build it for you right there, like a temple of health and flavor. I got the bowl with the grains, half rice, half greens. That’s what the young doctor tells me to do now. Then the lamb meatballs—ay gamoto mou, they were seasoned like YiaYia used to make, with garlic, herbs, and maybe a little secret prayer. I don’t know. It tasted like a story.

I put tzatziki, hummus, and this crazy red thing they call harissa on top. Spicy! Woke me up better than coffee. I put olives too. You must always put olives. If a place serves olives and you do not take them, what are you doing with your life?

They gave me a pita too. Soft, warm, fluffy like a Greek grandmother’s cheek. I wiped the bowl clean like a good man should. I was so full after, I had to sit outside for ten minutes and contemplate the meaning of joy.

So if you are in Madison, and your soul is tired and your stomach is empty, go to Cava. Eat well. Speak loud. Be happy. Life is short, but with a bowl like that, it is...

I placed an online order at 7:08pm on 3/7/24 and received the worst service EVER. My pickup time was for 7:15 pm. I patiently waited until 7:41 before requesting to speak with someone regarding the delay. Within that timeframe atleast 10 people who came in store to order had ordered and already received their order. The final straw was when the gentleman who was in line with me with a 7:30 pickup time received his order after they had already told me my order was next. I asked the worker how it was possible that people who placed online orders after me with a later pickup time were receiving their orders. The worker I spoke with graciously provided me with a phone number to speak with someone at a later time about the large delay. I still had yet to receive my order when the RUDEST manager by the name of Teirra interjected and stated that the reason for the delay was because they were short staffed. I stated to her that the person I previously spoke with when inquiring about my order status stated that the reason people who placed orders after received their food ahead of me was due to what I ordered. I then asked what items would allow for the wait to not be 45 min and that's when Teirra gave me nothing but attitude. Due to her rudeness and lack of professionalism I said don't worry about it I don't need to speak with you anymore I will place a call to a manager that has actual customer service skills. Once I stated that Keira then stated that they would not service my order. This was after I had spent 45 min waiting in store. TEERIBLE service I was treated with zero respect. I wish I could give this place negative stars because of...

Been a long time since I have had service this bad. The staff all seemed to be having a bad day or they just hate their job. At one point, even though they weren't out of anything, they just quit helping customers and started restocking things they didn't need, like gloves. Don't get me wrong, they need glove, but not all 4 sizes for 2 women. They just had a bad attitude, no sense of urgency, and they didn't care that the line went to 12 people deep just waiting.

It's a shame because the food was pretty good. It was our first time trying this chain and we won't go back now. We were there at 12:30pm.

Edit: 06/11/24- 12:24pm Well, I made the mistake of trying them again to see if it was better. They had 6 people working and still couldn't get anything done. Customers in line were telling them how to make the food. One employee left their gloves on while they went to the back, got a cardboard box, opened it with a box cutter, and pulled out a tray. Then, they proceded to raw-dog a another pita with that glove. You'd be better off licking the floor.

By the way- there is 0% integrity on their google score. Just take a look at all the reviews with no descriptions. Nobody leaves comments with nothing to say, at least not that many in a row. They are review-spamming to raise their score. They didn't even bother with profile pictures. All...