A Connecticut couple says their anniversary dinner at Cava, a fine dining restaurant in Southington, turned sour after they were allegedly kicked out by the manager when they asked to leave without paying for their entrées. The husband, who posted about the experience on Reddit under the username Secret-Set9129, said the evening started with high hopes given the restaurant’s impressive interior, but quickly went downhill from there.
According to the Reddit post on r/Connecticut, the trouble began early. Secret-Set9129 said the staff “look ROUGH,” the cocktails “tasted like bottom shelf vodka mixed with Hi-C” at $18 each, and the garlic cheese bread was stale with a freezer-burned taste. He described it as something “premade and then heated up for service.”
Despite the rough start, the couple said they decided to stick it out. When they considered leaving before their main courses arrived, the manager reportedly told them the food would be out shortly, so Secret-Set9129 said he agreed to wait and “hoped for the best.” The entrées, however, allegedly made things worse, he described his steak as overcooked, dry, and grainy, and said his wife’s chicken was “unbelievably overcooked” and unlike anything he had experienced before.
People in the comments say Cava has a long-standing reputation for poor food and aggressive management
After the meals arrived, the couple said they politely asked to pay for their drinks and leave without the entrées. According to Secret-Set9129, the manager came over “super p****d off and snarky.” The husband said he tried to explain their position calmly, telling the manager, “We came here for our anniversary. We came here to have a good time, not to mess with you guys,” to which the manager allegedly responded, “I think you are messing with us. Get out now.”
Secret-Set9129 noted in his post that based on comments and reviews he later came across, being kicked out may not be an unusual outcome at Cava. “I think we might now be part of an exclusive club of people who have been kicked out of Cava,” he wrote. “Apparently that’s their move when people have a bad time there.”
The post drew significant attention on r/Connecticut, with many commenters saying the experience matched what they had heard or personally encountered. Some said they had visited the restaurant and walked away with similar impressions of the food and service, while others said the restaurant’s reputation alone had been enough to keep them away.
A few readers suggested the couple should have checked online reviews beforehand, given how widely discussed the restaurant’s issues allegedly are. Managers asking customers to leave is not always uncommon, in one case, a Texas Roadhouse manager kicked out a customer after a poolside comment to a server sparked a dispute.
Some commenters pushed back slightly, noting that the décor and theming were genuinely impressive and that the restaurant seemed to attract visitors specifically for that reason. One said they had attended for a special occasion and found the visuals to be the clear highlight of the evening, even if the food did not match up.
Others in the thread questioned how the restaurant continues to operate given the volume of negative feedback it appears to have accumulated online. A handful of commenters also used the post as an opportunity to recommend other dining options in the area, suggesting the couple try different local restaurants for a better experience next time.
When one commenter asked Secret-Set9129 why he had not checked reviews before going, he replied, “It’s been so many years since I’ve had a horrible experience in a restaurant. I can’t even remember the last time we sent food back. I just didn’t even think of checking. Live and learn.”
Despite the evening’s rough start, he later indicated the couple managed to salvage the night and “ended up having a nice time.” Restaurant disputes can sometimes escalate well beyond a simple complaint, in one separate incident, a large party ran through six steaks at a restaurant before police were eventually called.
Published: Jul 14, 2026 11:45 am