CAVA — Restaurant in Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

I submitted a complaint requesting a refund for the following reasons:

I ordered at 8pm for a 8:15pm pickup. I arrived at Cava at 8:13pm and waited in the drive through pickup line for ONE HOUR and FIFTEEN MINUTES. I received my food at 9:30pm and it was the WRONG ORDER.

I asked for arugula, hummus, and falafel, as shown on the receipt. Instead, I received romaine, red pepper hummus, and NO falafel. The employees said they were out… they weren’t out when I ordered 1hr and 30mins beforehand. Maybe if my order had been made when it was supposed to, the ingredients would still have been there.

I feel scammed and am so upset because of the incredibly long wait for something that I didn’t even want.

Also, the time on the order receipt says 9:14pm, so they didn’t even start making my order until an hour and 15 minutes AFTER I ordered it.

Underlined in red in the receipt photo I have included, you can see the “promise time”. Cava, you did not fulfill this promise.

I have included a photo of my order, my physical receipt, and my digital confirmation for proof. So you can see the times, as well as the discrepancy between what I ordered vs what I got.

So, to recap: I order food for pickup. I wait 1hr in line, they haven’t even STARTED to make my order, so I wait another 15min and then I do not even receive what I ordered. Horrible horrible horrible experience.

As a former fast food worker, this is unacceptable.

EDIT: I also did not receive my pita bread OR either of the two sauces I asked for. Are you...

I’ve never written a review before, but I feel like this necessary to support one of my favorite food chains.

I have been in love with CAVA since I first tried their food in 2014 when I lived in the DC area. I would frequent there at least once a week while on my lunch breaks and one of the toughest parts about moving away from home was that I would have to part ways with CAVA.

For the last few years living in Athens, it has felt like a part of me is missing, but that hole finally started to fill when I learned a location was opening up here in Athens. I immediately kept up with all news related to the opening date and marked my calendar for Friday, August 13th. Some may say Friday the 13th is bad luck, but ordering CAVA today proved that luck can come even on a day like this.

My favorite meal to order has always been the greens + grains bowl, though obviously I have ventured through the entire menu and love all options. I highly suggest getting the harissa chicken and pairing it with the tzaziki, hummus, and crazy feta dip, then finishing it up with any toppings of your choice (personally, I find the pickled onions to be a necessity). And lastly, any lover of CAVA knows the seasonal juices + teas are to die for.

To end this review off, I would like to thank CAVA for blessing Athens with their food. The staff here also did a fantastic job of meeting my expectations as a CAVA veteran. Thank you all for filling the void in my heart, with peace...

Great food! I order here online multiple times a month. It is usually made when I get to the window regardless of estimated wait time. I get it. I worked fast food for a while.

Inside is a different story. This is my first online review of a restaurant. I used to read them all the time when I worked at Baddies Burgers on Lumpkin. It was always a bummer reading poor customer experiences, but we learned from all of them.

What made me go “hm?” tonight was the backup of bowls and pitas with not much traffic… 5 or 6 total in the line, including two workers (might’ve just gotten off their shift). Interaction with the girl at the register was odd. I asked if she had ice in the back, thinking maybe she would just fill it at the BOH machine. She looked at me for a second and made a face. Never said a word. Then one worker in line said “I got it”. He proceeded to the back, filled the ice bucket, and refilled the machine FOH. I moved out of the way so he could dump in the ice. Immediately after the machine was filled, the other worker in line behind me jumped in and filled up her cup. Haha!!!

Training needed here lol. Managerial expertise, much needed. Definitely have had some good experiences here, sure. Many more confusing ones though. Finished my bowl and my review....