The Fresh Shave — Restaurant in Kauai

First I will say that the shave ice we ordered was very good and unique, but I can only give one star because of the terrible service we received. My daughter has several food allergies. We travel a lot and have eaten at many different restaurants, both small and large, and the far vast majority work hard to adjust their menu items to accommodate her allergies or at least are very helpful to direct us to menu items that will work with her restrictions. When she approached fresh shave and asked about adjusting the flavors because of her allergies she was told “this is a fine dining establishment and we don’t make adjustments to our menu”. When she explained that she had allergies she was told, “ well this is a hard place for you to come then, isn’t it?” We we’re shocked! We understand it is hard to accommodate allergies, but maybe a “we’re sorry, let’s see what flavors could work for you” may have been more appropriate. The other negative reviews here are because of not being able to mix and match flavors and the reply from the owners says they cannot be adjusted except for a dairy allergy—well we were not even given that option. We will not be frequenting this place ever again and would suggest that if you have any food allergies (which millions of people do) you should stay far away. They are not willing to even try to accommodate you. It’s unfortunate, because organic and all natural food restaurants usually are the best to consider when you have allergy concerns, but not this place. Not only will they not accommodate you, but they will make you feel “less than” just for asking. I would suggest driving right by and trying one of the many other shave ice places...

Don't get me wrong, the shave ice here is one of the better ones. However, a major turn off/concern here is the "bad review" posted on their wall. The review reads something along the lines of "would not come again, would not recommend. I am not sure how this place is in business still." and the business lists the name of the reviewer. At first, I fell for it and thought that the review was crazy. However, I went to look up the review and the person who posted it had reasons for giving the review.

The business failed to list the whole review:

"Only a few flavors as they were out of everything, the girl working was super rude and seemed to hate her job. The one flavor available was just okay. Would not return nor recommend. I am not sure how this place is in business still."

While I have noticed that the service has since gotten better, it goes to show that an employee can make or break an experience at a certain business. Having worked in the service industry, I understand that times can be tough and that it's hard to be cheerful and bubbly 100% of the time but when it is so noticeable that it warranted a review, the worker should be addressed instead of the reviewer being unfairly called out.

It's unfortunate that the business needed to be petty and boost their own ego by posting a one star review. Or maybe it was for sympathy? Whatever the reason, this wass not okay and you may want to reconsider your marketing strategy.

For these reasons, I will not return to...

A friend and I came here after a nice long day of hiking different places. After hearing a lot of hullabaloo about a different shave ice place, I couldn’t help but be drawn instead to the Fresh Shave in Koloa. The owner happened to be there the first time we went, and I absolutely fell in love with the witty concept and descriptions of all of the flavors.

Honestly, I was sold even before I tasted the natural flavors in this shave ice, which is what hands-down sets it apart from the others! Seriously! When you’re on vacation, you’re already overdoing it on your food choices, right? So if you’re going to get something sweet, isn’t it fantastic that you can not only choose something that tastes remarkable, but is also a healthier option than the sugar-filled shaved ice places!

So, look at the pictures below, and check out the well-coiffed menu options! We returned multiple times… if you are a fan of fruit flavors, my favorite was the Whiskers, a perfect balance of Mojito without the alcohol. Absolutely refreshing and my favorite shaved ice on the island!

Now I’m just trying to figure out how to buy into that franchise and bring it to the Midwest on...