I only tried this location because I frequently visit another Tropical Cafe location near my job in Spring, where I consistently receive great service and safely order the same meal. I was excited to discover there was a location in my neighborhood, but unfortunately my experiences here have been extremely disappointing and concerning.
My first visit was on Sunday, January 8th around 5:00 PM after visiting the nail salon next door. I waited inside for approximately five minutes without a single employee greeting me or offering assistance. The employees remained behind the counter and did not acknowledge me at all, so I ultimately left and went to the pizza place next door. I assumed this may have been an off day and decided to give the location another chance.
Today, around 5:00 PM, I placed a to go order and sent my husband to pick it up. My order was:
- 1x Baja Chicken Wrap – $8.49
- No roasted tomato salsa
- Baked Lay’s Original Chips
This is my usual order that I eat regularly at the Spring location. As soon as I took a bite of the wrap, my lips became itchy. Upon inspection, I found spinach leaves inside my wrap.
I am allergic to spinach and carry an epinephrine pen due to the severity of this allergy. I order very carefully and am extremely familiar with the ingredients and appearance of the lettuce used in your wraps.
I immediately called the store, and the two women I spoke with were rude and unhelpful. They insisted I bring the wrap back so they could verify whether it was “actually spinach.” Because I was already having an allergic reaction, I sent my husband instead.
Rather than addressing the issue appropriately, the employees argued with my husband and insisted the leaf was not spinach even in front of other customers. When he asked to see the spinach used in the store, the leaves matched what was found in my wrap, yet the employees still refused to acknowledge the mistake. I would welcome management reviewing the camera footage from this interaction.
If the employees had simply acknowledged the error, this situation could have been resolved calmly. Instead, it became confrontational, dismissive, and unsafe. Food allergies are serious, and food ingredients should never be mixed or dismissed. It is also alarming that food service employees could not identify the difference between lettuce and spinach.
I have attached photos for your review showing the spinach leaf found in my food and the item shown to staff, which they refused to acknowledge.
This location is in serious need of staff trainingboth in food safety and customer service. It is disappointing that I no longer feel safe eating at this location due to the lack of transparency and accountability. While my reaction was fortunately mild, had this resulted in an anaphylactic reaction, your staff provided no indication they would have handled the situation appropriately.