CAVA — Restaurant in Lynchburg

I’ve recently been taking advantage of the “TooGoodToGo” app & CAVA is the only restaurant locally that participates. This is my second time picking up my “Surprise Bag” from CAVA. The way the app works is, it’s a win/win for both the restaurant and the patron. The restaurant doesn’t lose profits completely by tossing fresh food and the patron doesn’t have to pay full price for the items received. The food has been absolutely amazing both times! However, the employee that is has given me my Surprise Bag is extremely rude. My first visit, was also my first time using the app so I was unsure of where to find the code to show i had paid for my item. The person at the counter was extremely rude and rolled her eyes and did not want to help me at all. I chalked it up to maybe her having a bad day, it being late, no one likes the closing shift…etc. However, today is my second time I have came in and she has the same rude attitude. I understand It’s closing time however the app will not allow you to Pick up your items until 9:45pm and that is the exact time I was inside. I make sure I am not late & that my app is pulled up and I have swiped to show the person at the counter. A patron should never walk into a restaurant and feel like a burden. I was in the restaurant for about 60 seconds. A simple hello & goodbye or some form of acknowledgement shouldn’t be too much to ask. Working in customer service may not be the job for this person. Maybe this is a new role for this employee and she needs training on customer care?? I would like to continue frequenting CAVA less the rude employee and lack of communication. But the food was amazing!! Just the...

We frequent Cava on average once a week which is good for us considering we live 20-25 minutes away. Food has always been good, service is hit or miss. But tonight, everything was just wrong. We were there 1.5 hours before close but apparently they were ready to go. The two ladies running the front were so unpleasant. The first lady told us they were out of greens besides spinach and some other one I’d never had. I asked what it was and she turned around to look at it and answered while turned around so I did not hear but I just went with it (still no idea what it was). The second lady checked us out without making any eye contact. I asked if she had a bag as we were getting it to-go. She pointed to where the silverware was and said “over there”. There were none so I went back to the counter to ask for one. The only customer in line had just started getting her food made by the girl at the other end. The lady at check out stood staring at the register IGNORING ME as I said “excuse me ma’am” three times right in front of her, getting louder each time. Finally she looked up and I told her there were no bags. She sighed and rolled her eyes and turned around to the counter behind her and grabbed one (THATS ALL SHE HAD TO DO??). I TOTALLY understand trying to shut down shop when it gets to the last hours of open time and suddenly gets busy (there were several other people there), I was an assistant manager in the food industry for 3 years. But that is no way to act with customers. And not to mention we get home and there’s HAIRS IN OUR FOOD?? Wasted our entire dinner. Totally unacceptable. Cava on Old Forest Road in...

Walked out without eating.

Waiting in line for our turn, trying to read the menu on the board. Makes no sense. That's why they have little cards at each station, which you can't see until you get there, explaining what is available for each option. No biggie, I had looked everything up online and I was prepared. Or so I thought.

Anyway, first station. I picked a build your own bowl with Saffron basmati rice as the base. The person serving me scooped white, colorless rice with green flecks in it into the bowl. I said, excuse me, I ordered saffron rice and saffron is yellow. She looked behind her to the trays waiting to make it to the service counter and then looked back at me and asked me what was wrong. To which I replied, there is no saffron in that saffron rice. And she looked at me and asked if there was a problem. I walked out.

The rest of the service counter didn't look any better. But the person waiting on us was polite and for that they get 3 stars, but they were still clueless, sadly. Even the website shows the saffron rice being yellow. I hope other locations have saffron in their saffron rice.

So rice is rice, right? Well, the next station was pick up to 3 sauces and they all pretty much looked disgusting, except the hummus and the harissa, which looked like they had been just put out. The rest looked like cross-contaminated sauce party.

I didn't need to see the rest...