Ike's Love & Sandwiches — Restaurant in Phoenix

BEWARE! This restaurant is NOT safe for vegetarians & vegans OR for people with allergies. I really enjoy the other Ike's locations (especially the one in Tempe) but this particular location is sloppily managed. Even after three or four opportunities to "save" me, this restaurant fed me meat and dairy (which I'm allergic to). Such a nightmare!!

It's a long story, but here's what happened:

I ordered two sandwiches, one (meat) to-go, for a friend, and the second (vegan) to eat at the restaurant. The cashier couldn't figure out how to sell me one to-go sandwich and one for-here sandwich, so she told me that she was making them both to go. Which is fine, but obviously part of the reason I would want to separate them would be to keep my vegan sandwich away from the meat one.

When the bag of to-go sandwiches arrived, I could not tell them apart. The writing on the sandwich wrapper was a mess. Usually there is a "V" or "VGN" on the vegan sandwich, but that mark was missing. I took both sandwiches to the cashier, who took them from me, into the kitchen. When she came back, she told me which sandwich was vegan, and that she'd checked with the chef.

I went back to my table and opened the "vegan" sandwich, but it didn't look right. Still, I trusted the cashier and the chef, and I took a big bite. It was chicken!!

I'm allergic to dairy, and usually restaurants are careful about keeping allergens away from people who ask for anything "free" of that allergen, so I couldn't fathom that the staff at Ike's would be so casual as to feed me an allergen. I took the (bitten) sandwich back up to the cashier and asked her if this is what their "vegan chicken" was supposed to look like, because it didn't taste right to me. At that point, I think I knew that it really was chicken and dairy, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Ike's would feed me something not safe. The cashier (again) took my sandwich from me and went to the back, where the chef apparently confirmed that it was actual chicken and dairy-based sauce.

The worst part was that the cashier barely apologized (even though I was near tears) and didn't offer me a refund, even though she mixed up the sandwiches and told me that it was safe for me to eat meat. She'd also carried the opened meat sandwich back to the kitchen so I didn't feel comfortable giving it to the person I was bringing it to, so I ended up throwing it away. I will definitely never go back to this restaurant. I will also be posting this story many different places, especially vegetarian and vegan-specific platforms, just to let them know that this restaurant is NOT safe for...

I am usually a big fan of Ike's Love & Sandwiches, but my recent experience at their Camelback location has left a bitter taste.

The initial process of ordering online was smooth - I placed an order for five unique sandwiches for a local company, expecting quick, easy, and accurate service. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out as planned. Upon arriving for pickup, I was informed that due to a broken oven, my order couldn't be completed. Despite the disappointment, I appreciated the staff's honesty and their assurance of a refund.

The issue started compounding when they were unable to share my specific order details with the 4th Avenue location for me to pick up from, due to concerns about impacting the refund. As a consolation, I was provided three discount coupons, only to discover later that I could only use one at a time but it couldn't be used on the app.

Feeling pressed for time, I opted to place a new order online, hoping for a seamless experience at the 4th Avenue location. But the disappointment didn't stop at the Camelback location. Upon my arrival, I was expecting to see five sandwiches with the traditional lollipops to accompany each one, something we've come to expect and enjoy. However, the bag was missing the lollipops. After specifically requesting them, they were reluctantly added to my bag.

To make matters worse, when I finally managed to deliver the order, three out of the five sandwiches were incorrect. It was not just a letdown for me, but also for the employees eagerly waiting for their lunch.

As a final blow, two days later, I noticed two charges from Ike's. Thankfully, the general manager at Camelback, James, assured me a refund would now be processed. He was apologetic and acknowledged the ongoing issue with their app, a consolation but still doesn't negate the series of inconveniences I experienced.

In essence, this was an unfortunately disappointing interaction with Ike's Love & Sandwiches, where even small details like the missing lollipops amplified the overall dissatisfaction. I genuinely hope they take this feedback into account and make necessary improvements in their service. The sandwiches are great, but the experience...

Don’t get me wrong, I love this place, the halal chicken is delicious !! However last time in we had a server/Cashier , maybe in her early mid 20’s dark brown hair, those gauge earrings, glasses, tattoos,... she very much so gave the impression that my girlfriend and I ordering our lunch was just a huge inconvenience for her, just super negative, when we were a little confused about her tomatoe/or lettuce question phrasing she gave off a even more obvious impression that it was just UNACCEPTABLE that we were wasting her precious time. I ordered a couple cookies that she had to re ring up and scoffed saying you said you said chocolate chip, I did not I just said cookies, she then mutters under her breath “well you didn’t specify” in snarky tone. she finished the transaction, I say thank you, no reply ... she proceeded to bring us our food not Saying a word, the four separate things we received we said thank you each time, the girl neither said here you go, enjoy, or your welcome ... just nothing... I really would appreciate this employee hearing from a manager to change this behavior... I worked a lot of years as a cashier at a teriyaki joint... no room for that , and I know As a Past manager that I would want to know if one of my employees treated our customers in such a way. I was incredibly shocked to be treated in such a way, enjoyed the sandwich but was quite frustrated with this... like what did we do that made her so unfriendly... we felt very...