Summary:
Manager Shakira treated me very rudely and unfairly…read moreat Culver's #613, located at 6778 Hickory Flat Hwy, Canton, GA 30115. What should have been a simple food order for my autistic child turned into a petty, controlling, and intimidating situation over two slices of cheese.
My family has ordered the same thing from Culver's for years: two grilled chicken filets with a slice of cheese. We have always been charged for the grilled chicken filets with cheese added separately, not as full sandwiches without buns. My husband had just ordered it the same way the week before.
On this visit, Shakira suddenly said it had to be charged as full sandwiches because cheese counted as a topping. So I changed the order and paid for the grilled chicken filets plain. Then I tried to buy the two cheese slices separately, which another employee was willing to ring up for about 85 cents. Shakira ran over and stopped him from selling it to me.
At that point, it felt less like policy and more like control. She would rather refund an approximately $20 order that I had already paid for than allow me to buy two slices of cheese separately. She then threatened to call the police while I was waiting for my refund. As a Black customer, having a white manager threaten to call police over two slices of cheese felt very concerning. The only thing I could think was that this felt like what society calls a "Karen" situation -- escalating something small and unnecessary instead of calmly resolving it.
She also slammed the drive-thru window hard after saying she would call the police.
Now for the full details:
I had a very troubling experience at Culver's #613, located at 6778 Hickory Flat Hwy, Canton, GA 30115, involving manager Shakira.
My family has ordered from this Culver's location for years. We regularly order two grilled chicken filets with a slice of cheese for my autistic child, who eats the same foods consistently. This has always been rung up as grilled chicken filets with cheese added separately, not as full sandwiches without buns. My husband had just ordered this same way the week before without any issue.
On this visit, I ordered the same thing: two grilled chicken filets with cheese. For the first time ever, manager Shakira told me that if cheese is added to grilled chicken, the order must be rung up as full sandwiches without buns. I made it clear that I did not want lettuce, tomato, bun, or any sandwich toppings. I only wanted the grilled chicken filets with cheese, the same way we have ordered them many times before. Shakira said this was their policy and that the policy had supposedly been in place for years, although she also said other employees may not have been aware of it or may not have been following it.
Since Shakira said the issue was the cheese being added as a topping to the chicken, I attempted to resolve the issue by purchasing the grilled chicken filets plain. I paid for two plain grilled chicken filets and received a receipt showing the grilled chicken filets, not sandwiches. After that, I attempted to purchase two slices of cheese separately.
Another employee was willing to ring up the cheese separately and quoted it at about 85 cents, but Shakira stopped him from selling it to me. She appeared to refuse the cheese because she knew I intended to use it with the chicken. At that point, it felt less like a policy issue and more like pettiness and control.
Instead of trying to calmly resolve a simple food-order issue, she offered only the food without cheese or a refund. She then threatened to call police if I did not leave after the refund. I had already asked for my refund and was waiting to receive my money back. As a Black customer, being threatened with police over a minor order dispute involving two slices of cheese felt intimidating, unnecessary, and racially concerning.
She also slammed the drive-thru window hard during the interaction. I repeatedly asked for my refund because I had already paid for the order and had a receipt. The order was approximately $20, and Shakira seemed willing to have Culver's lose that entire sale rather than allow me to purchase two slices of cheese separately for about 85 cents. That does not sound like good customer service or good management. It felt like ego, control, and pettiness.
I also asked how to contact someone above her or how to contact corporate. Shakira stated that the owner is Tim Auseth and said that there was no way to reach corporate beyond him because he is the franchise owner. She also stated that because it is his store, he has his own rules and standards. That was concerning to hear, because this location still operates under the Culver's name.
I later went to another Culver's location the same day, and they were able to ring up a similar order as grilled chicken filets with American cheese charged separately. That is how my family has commonly ordered it before.
