CAVA — Restaurant in River Forest

I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding the unprofessionalism and poor management at your River Forest, IL location. My recent experience was incredibly frustrating and disappointing, and I believe it reflects a larger issue with how this location is run.

I visited the store on 5/14/25 to resolve a previous issue, and prior to going in i spoke with the General Manager, Ben. Unfortunately, he failed to leave any clear instructions or notes about our conversation. As a result, when I went in it caused confusion among the staff and I had to explain the situation all over again with it still not being resolved.

When I called back today 5/15/25, I spoke with Marco, the manager on duty. Rather than assisting me with empathy or professionalism, Marco was dismissive and repeatedly called me “babe”—even after I asked him several times to stop. He responded by saying, “I’m just trying to be nice,” which was not only inappropriate but also extremely disrespectful. When I tried to explain my concerns further, he hung up on me.

This level of unprofessionalism is unacceptable, and it’s clear there is a serious breakdown in staff training, communication, and management at this location. I urge you to investigate this matter thoroughly and take appropriate corrective action to ensure that no other customers are treated this way...

My first time having Cava which I was excited when I saw it because I don’t have a location close to me. There was a lady with a yellow head wrap at the start of making the bowl. I asked for saffron rice then romaine lettuce. She stops and gives me this look now I’m confused and she says “really don’t you have romaine lettuce at home” so I said no and she noticed I didn’t find her “joke” funny and she says oh I’m just joking with you. However that is not a joke it’s rude and unprofessional. Then to say this in front of other customers now people are looking at me. I can see that there are other options while standing there and on the menu I looked at for 30 minutes trying to decide what I wanted. It is perfectly fine to suggest other greens however passing judgment as if this is bottom of the barrel was enough for not bring me back to this location. I get to the next part and remind you this is my first time so I’m not sure if the guy was annoyed by the time he got to my bowl but he was no help and I felt rushed to the point I didn’t get everything I wanted because the guy kept saying what else what else what else like CAN I LOOK FIRST!! The cashier was helpful and nice and the only reason I came back in the next 5 min to get another order of chips and sauce. Hope the next location I find is a...

KJ was exceptional. I went on Tuesday 7.29.25 and he served me and walked me through my first time at Cava, so much so, that I came back the next day on Wednesday 7.30.25. I was glad that he was there to serve me again, apart from the delicious food, his customer service brought me back. He remembered me from the day before and I bought 4 bowls for my family to enjoy too. The only reason I am giving 4 stars, is because upon checkout, Benjamin rang me up and then left my food sitting in an area that couldn’t be reached for 14 minutes. I tried getting the attention of someone, but Benjamin and 4 other team members walked by, did not acknowledge me or the 4 people behind me, that also needed to be attended to. KJ, with a positive attitude, was serving everyone with a smile on his face. He happened to notice my food was still sitting there and apologized for my long wait time, and gave me two drinks for the inconvenience. I just want to take the time to appreciate him, his exemplary customer service, and his awareness of the line. I work in retail food service as well, and it was refreshing to see, KJ be attentive to not only me, but every guest....