Customer goes viral after “love” gets him free sandwich

A man has gone viral after he bought a sandwich for lunch at CAVA, only to find that when he looked at the bill, a special note had been written by the server. 

In a post that’s gained more than 3 million views on Twitter/X, a man posted a surprising bill from the Mediterranean fast-dining restaurant, CAVA. 

The customer posted his tale on the platform, alongside a picture of his receipt which clearly lists the falafel pita for $11.05, but the total is displayed as $0. To the left of the total, we see the word ‘love,’ written. 

It reads: “Was the guy who made my sandwich in love with me?? I tried to pay and he said ‘You’re all set’ and this was the receipt.” 

After the receipt hit the internet, people couldn’t wait to share their thoughts, with many wondering why the man had not returned to visit the server. 

“Signs point to yes,” one person said, answering the man’s question as to whether or not they were in love with him. 

“Yep, and instead of talking to him you’re posting it for likes from strangers,” someone wrote, wondering why they didn’t go back and ask them for a date — to which the man replied, “I’m straight.”

He was in surprise after checking the bill

“NGL this is kinda romantic. They really went ahead and added love in the receipt,” another wrote. 

“This happens to me sometimes and I think ‘still got it’ but then I realize I just look homeless,” one joked.

It turns out that none of these theories are actually true. David Garcia, manager of the Huntersville CAVA revealed to NBC Charlotte back in 2018, that the chain’s cash registers have a ‘love’ button on the register, allowing server’s to make someone’s day a little brighter.

“Sometimes we’ll use the button if we notice someone’s having a bad day, or if they forgot their wallet, or if we see a customer who’s always in our store.”

“We try to use the button at least twice a day,” he revealed. 

However, just because the button exists, that doesn’t mean that customers can take advantage of it whenever they choose to, according to an X/Twitter post by CAVA itself. 

CAVA urged customers not to badger employees for free meals

Some CAVA customers had claimed the love button was all a lie, writing: “Your employees are lying about the love button – that’s false advertisement,” which prompted a response from the fast food chain.

“Hi! The love button does exist but it’s up to the discretion of our Team Members. For their sake, please do not ask them to comp your meals,” CAVA wrote.

This isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed acts of kindness from fast-food restaurants. Chick-fil-A has a ‘sunshine week,’ where they sometimes leave heartfelt, handwritten notes in customers’ food bags.