** I would like to note ahead of time I have been going to pho cafe for YEARS and have raved about it to all my friends and family. It's been my #1 pho spot in all of wilmington- so I am GREATLY disappointed and feel robbed**
I called ahead to place an order for beef pho ( which they prep batches 8 hours ahead of time, AKA premade, not yes distributed) and bánh mì. After giving payment over the phone I realized I needed to call back to request no cilantro (or basil) due to concern for the nationwide outbreak of Cyclospora (if you haven't heard of this, please look it up and be cautious/ aware). This is a parasite linked to cilantro, basil, and bagged salads causing severe illness such as diarrhea and vomiting across the nation, starting on May 1st, 2026. So I called the restaurant back to request the accommodation, they proceeded to tell me that they "do not do accommodations or alterations". I explained to them that if they could not accommodate me, I would like a refund for my order because I no longer want the food due to not wanting to risk it (this food was going to be dropped off to my pregnant sister, moreso reason to not want to risk it!!). They responded and said they neither cannot accommodate a refund or my SIMPLE ask to remove cilantro and basil. I told them I would reach out to my bank if they cannot proceed with proper customer service and they basically hung up on me. I walked into the establishment and told them in person why I wanted the refund and informed them of the nationwide outbreak.. the woman (owner) told me that their distributor (Sysco) would give them a heads up if their cilantro was contaminated. I looked it up, and CDC has not yet been able to identify specific suppliers YET (so obviously Sysco is still a POSSIBILITY, again, that I don't want to risk). I informed the owner of my research findings and she proceeded to refuse a refund, stating "making accommodations is inconvenient and we would lose profit if we were to refund you" , even though I did not take food home with me because I no longer wanted it. Owners argued the food was already made, which I argued back that the broth is prepped HOURS ahead of time and their veggies are pre bagged, so nothing was cooked on the spot for me that wasn't already prepped. I told them being denied my refund is basically stealing my money since I am not taking food home and I continued to press for a refund. They told me they were going to call the police and asked me to leave. I got in my car and waited and called the non emergency police department to get advice on the situation. The police department told me to contact 'The Better Business Bureau East Coast ' as it was not a lawful situation. I re-entered the establishment and told them I'd be doing so as well as leaving a Facebook review.
At the end of the day, I will be contacting my bank for a refund due to being DENIED one by the business.
However, I do want to put it out there that Pho Cafe has HORRIBLE customer service, I am absolutely appalled. Yes, I agreed to payment, but once found out accomations could not be made, I requested a refund almost within two minutes of my order. I am human, I sometimes think to ask for accommodations after the fact. However, that does not give right for an establishment to refuse proper customer service and any flexibility to refund or even give a credit for once the outbreak is cleared if they CHOOSE to only serve their meals with cilantro and basil and CHOOSE not to accommodate other preferences.
Have a nice day everyone, Pho Cafe lost AT LEAST ONE customer today. What a shame. read more