CAVA — Restaurant in Upper Providence Township

Review of CAVA (12/16/24)

I want to preface this by saying that I was hesitant to visit this location, as a mutual friend of mine had experienced food poisoning here a few weeks prior. Despite numerous attempts to contact the restaurant via calls and emails, they never received a response, which already left a poor impression.

Upon arriving, my friend and I decided to give CAVA another chance but were incredibly disappointed by the experience. I paid close attention to how the food was being prepared, and what I observed was deeply concerning, especially in light of my familiarity with PA health regulations. • Glove Usage: At no point did any staff member change their gloves. The employee preparing our food was wearing the same gloves while serving us, the customers before us, and the customers after us. At one point, they ran to the kitchen to retrieve more avocado and returned to serving food—still with the same gloves. I noticed a chunk of avocado stuck on her glove, which made it clear that cross-contamination was occurring between orders. This is a violation of the Pennsylvania Food Code 46.101(c), which requires food employees to change gloves when switching tasks, handling different food items, or when contamination is possible. • Sanitation Issues: Our cups were handed to us by the rims, which is not only unsanitary but a clear health violation. The tables in the dining area were visibly sticky, further suggesting a lack of proper cleaning protocols. Per Pennsylvania Food Code 46.711(a), food-contact surfaces and utensils must be kept clean to prevent contamination. • Payment Trouble: The staff also struggled to split the payment between two cards, which added unnecessary frustration to the experience. • Food Quality: The food itself did not taste fresh or right, and after everything we observed, we could not bring ourselves to finish our meals. We ate only a small portion before deciding to leave and discard our food.

This experience has left us with no intention of returning to this CAVA location. The lack of attention to food safety and customer service was alarming, and it’s disappointing to see such disregard for basic health standards. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and implements necessary changes to ensure food safety and customer satisfaction...

The food is okay (but overpriced, though I guess most places are anymore).

Just do not order delivery from their website. Order through DoorDash if you must, because at least then you can contact directly through the app when you have an issue.

Back in January, I ordered fairly early on a weekday (a little after 5:00), hoping for a quick dinner before having to go out for an appointment. I don't know if the problem was with the Doordash driver or with the restaurant themselves, but my order was 1) ready late, 2) then took a huge detour out of the way before finally getting back to me. Needless to say, the food was a cold soggy mess by the time it was delivered, over 45 minutes later than the last (usually overestimated) delivery time. The restaurant being about 5 minutes from my house (I know, I know, why did I order delivery instead of pickup? Sue me, I needed to get ready before leaving the house. Next time, if there was a next time, I will spend the 12 minutes to pick it up myself...)

I'm not usually a complainer, and on another day would probably have let it slide, but the fact that I specifically ordered from this close, fast restaurant so I could eat early and not have to waste time cooking... Honestly, I was angry. So I called the support number associated with the online order, complained and was offered a 40% refund. Which, frankly, is pretty poor appeasement, but I figured it was better than nothing, so I agreed to it. I get an email saying that it would be credited back to me within 10-12 business days.

13 business days go by, no refund. So I call again. They apologize about the missing refund, promise to initiate the refund again. Another email. Another 12 business days. This time, they say 10-12 business days and I would get an email in 1-3 days following up. No email, no refund. It's been 3 months, and I guess I just have to give up, which is infuriating.

I will never order from CAVA again, obviously. And I strongly recommend no one else does either. They do not care about the quality of their food or service... Typical chain garbage with no oversight, staffed by undertrained and...

This is my 3rd time having CAVA in the last month. I have ordered the Harrissa option all three times. The first time it was made well. It looked artistic. The last two times (including today) were nowhere near in comparison to the first. But it tastes so good I honestly didn't care how it was presented. Yes I was annoyed that everything was thrown in the bowl. But my biggest gripe has been the service. Each time I have ordered it has been online. You would think that it would speed up the time it takes but the To Go line is much faster. The young woman who prepares the Online Orders in the back moves like a snail. She looks to be of Hispanic decent but she has Air Pods in. How can you effectively work with noise cancelling air pods in your ear. We need to figure this out. The young black lady I think her name is Muva. She is basically running the entire restaurant by herself. She is managing the To Go line and has to manage the Online Orders because everyone is in her face if she doesn't as she is the cashier. God Bless her. Even with her tireless efforts to control the wait time. The Online Order line is always just as long as the To Go. If my order says it will be ready at 12:15. Why is it always 12:40 when I get out of there. My lunch is over at that point and I have to scoff my food down and I don't like that. What is the point of ordering online. I noticed that there is a new man that works there, he looks to be around 40-50ish mixed race/other. I don't know but he is trying his hardest to help as well but he is too just one person and I am not quite certain he knows enough to even do a good job. He takes a lot of his lead from Muva who is already stretched thin. WHAT ARE THE OTHER PEOPLE DOING IN THIS STORE??? It's like 6 other people in there and they are all MOVING like snails. I never seen people in the food service industry move so slow. As a matter of habit you would think there would be some type of style if you have been in the business before. This location sucks and those two people cant run it...