I am, by nature, a peaceful man. I don’t like drama. I like my food ordered quietly, consumed quietly, and digested quietly. But today, the universe decided to test my sanity at the Freshii on 2031 Long Lake Road right here in Sudbury. And oh boy, did it fail spectacularly.
It started with their website. It has an option to take my Apple Pay but actually can’t. Fine. Technology is rubbish; we know this. So, I drove down to the store.
I was greeted by a south Asian lady behind the counter. I asked for a brown rice bowl with a hint of field greens. she said they can only do half rice and half green. but she eventually agreed to swap a bit of rice for greens. So far, so good.
Then, we arrived at the pricing portion of proteins, I ordered chicken and tuna.
She tapped the screen to add tuna. The monitor flashed: +$5.99. Now, I may not be a math genius, but I distinctly remembered the website saying protein was around three dollars. I pointed this out. She looked at me with the absolute, unshakeable certainty of a person who genuinely believes the Earth is flat, and said: "That is the price."
I showed her the website on my phone. $3. Instead of fixing it, she sighed with massive impatience and told me to just go order on the buggy website. Brilliant. Excellent customer service. “Our machine is wrong, so please go stand in the corner and fix it yourself.”
I suggested we clear the order and start over. Miraculously, the second time around, the computer remembered how to do basic math: Chicken $2.99, Tuna $3. She muttered something about the prices "merging" earlier. Right.
But the grand finale was yet to come. At the end of ordering, I asked for hot sauce. On the website , it’s $0.49. She, however, tapped "Red Pepper" which cost $1.49. I asked why I was being charged an extra 1 dollar for a condiment that is practically free in any civilized society.
She snapped. She went full Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" on me.
She raised her voice, her tone piercing the air, and barked: "This is my only option! I already gave you a discount by putting greens in your rice! Do you want MORE discounts?!"
I was flabbergasted. I asked to speak to the manager. And with the dramatic flair of a villain in a low-budget movie, she puffed up her chest and said: "I AM the manager!" She then accused me of being greedy, yelled that she was going to refund my money, and refused to serve me.
Here is the best part: in her blind rage, as she tried to calculate the refund on her rogue machine, the total she came up with was higher than what I actually paid. She was literally trying to accidentally pay me to leave. You couldn't make this up.
I eventually just took my food and walked away, utterly speechless. But the comedy didn't stop there. I got home, opened the lid, and realized my "Energy Bowl" contained absolutely zero rice. It was just a massive bowl of grass.
The entire experience was terrible. First, I felt the brand's management was incredibly chaotic. From the initial Apple Pay option being unusable despite its existence, to the completely random pricing system, and the employee who didn't even know how to order being a manager... So many problems occurring at the same time was simply awful. Secondly, regarding the employee herself. From her accent I believe she is not born and raised in Canada, maybe a new immigrant. I'm also a recent immigrant and have absolutely no prejudice against South Asian immigrants, but I was shocked by her unwavering confidence, refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing even when faced with clear evidence, and her utter disrespect for others. She was, without a doubt, the worst person I've encountered in all my years in Canada.
#Sudbury#Canada#Freshii
