There are customers of the healthy-eating chain store, Kauai, that are unhappy with the quality being delivered to them.
The brand, with over 150 stores across South Africa, have become synonymous with wholesome food and nutritious smoothies, but certain consumers have expressed their disappointment in their overall satisfaction.
Amongst the complaints, are issues with customer service, portion size, inconsistency and overall quality.
-
- South African rapper and celebrity, Casper Nyovest, voices his displeasure with the meal he received from the La Lucia branch in Durban. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- A customer shows their displeasure in the quality of the smoothie they received. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- “Just got this salted caramel now tonight at the gym and it literally tastes like there is half a beaker of salt in here. Other times you would say you can’t taste the salt,” says Justin Botha about a smoothie bought at the Virgin Active, Stellenbosch branch. PHOTO: supplied
-
- A wrap bought by Isabella Marie de Wet. The wrap is turned on its side. PHOTO: Supplied
Ahmed Dada, a third year bachelor of accounting student at Stellenbosch University (SU), expressed his displeasure in his local Kauai.
“Kauai in Stellenbosch is terrible. I order the same smoothie every time and not once has it ever tasted the same or been the same consistency.”
Erin Walls, a second year bachelor of arts (BA) SU student, says she’s stopped buying from the Virgin Active Stellenbosch branch, as she believes they are “overpriced” and constantly missing ingredients in their wraps and smoothies, that are advertised in the description.
Recent SU graduates, Jade Lee and Cheron Randall echoed similar frustrations with the Stellenbosch branch, and more recently the one in Claremont.
Jade Lee says, “the Kauai wraps are so much smaller than they use to be, yet they still increase the prices every year. The price for a smoothie is ridiculous, especially for the size that you’re given.”
Cheron Randall: “I always order the same thing and it comes in a different portion.”
-
- A copper-like object found in a smoothie at the Victory Park branch, Johannesburg. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- Further unhappy customers. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- Screenshot from an unhappy customer. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- A mouldy strawberry found in a customer’s meal. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- A screenshot from the Twitter page of Kauai. PHOTO: Twitter
-
- A piece of plastic found in a smoothie at the Virgin Active, Stellenbosch branch. PHOTO: Tashin Singh
When asked about the inconsistencies at Kauai, Kerusha Tucker, the customer services manager said the following;
“We have quite a few processes in place to have consistency in the store. We do detailed recipes, training, operational audits, assessments, refresher training and mystery shoppers.”
Perhaps of most concern, is Kauai’s negligence at times of omitting ingredients due to dietary requirements and allergy specifications, when asked to.
Kirstin Cassells, a 22-year-old BA Humanities graduate from SU, said that at the Virgin Active Stellenbosch branch, “they really couldn’t care less about allergy specifications. I’m lactose intolerant and have had them put milk in almost every smoothie, even if it doesn’t require it from the menu (or refused to omit the milk when I ask them to).”
These unhappy patrons are not alone though, as the issues at Kauai seem to run across South Africa. The infographic below highlights this.
Infographic depicting the various customer complaints from patrons, on the Facebook and Twitter pages of Kauai. INFOGRAPHIC: Tashin Singh
Isabella Marie de Wet, who is a 21-year-old Vega student from Cape Town, says she constantly experiences inconsistency in portion sizes.
“I ordered a Mexi-fresh bowl (sit down) at the Steenberg branch, it was a pretty decent portion size. Then the next time I ordered the same meal as an Uber Eats order (from Blue Route) and it was half the size. My mom ordered the same meal the other day (from Steenberg) and it was double the original portion size, it was huge!
MatieMedia are still awaiting further comment from Kauai on the findings in the infographic.