Chicago woman orders $25 healthy Mediterranean bowl from Cava. Then she spots a ‘little antenna’: ‘Gotta start paying attention’

A Chicago woman says her $25 Mediterranean bowl from Cava came with an unwelcome surprise that she did not notice until she started mixing her meal. TikTok creator Itsnyjea (@itsnyjea) shared a video showing what appears to be a winged insect in her food. In the caption, she wrote, “Mind you this cost $25.”

In the video, Itsnyjea explains how she discovered the apparent insect.
“I have a bug in my food,” she says. “I was mixing it, and I saw this little antenna.”

The camera then shows an employee responding to the complaint. According to the exchange captured in the video, the worker apologized and offered to remake the meal, free of charge.

Itsnyjea said she still had some concerns

As the video shows, Itsnyjea accepted the offer, but admitted she still felt uneasy about eating the replacement. “I’m scared. I’m not gonna lie. I’m scared because I don’t know where the little fella came from.”

She adds that the apparent insect had “a huge wing” and wondered which ingredient it may have come from. She also praised the employee who helped her, saying, “She’s really nice. I come here all the time.”

Later in the video, she argues that replacing the meal may not have been enough. “I feel like I should have a refund as well,” she says.

She added, “I understand that there was a little critter in there and that you remake it. I just feel like, everyone knows if you go to a restaurant, and your food comes out, and there’s something in your food, your meal is free.”

Despite her concerns, Itsnyjea decided to try the replacement bowl after saying a prayer over her meal. “I’ll tell you what,” she jokes near the end of the clip. “If it was a bug in that bite, then it was just a bug in that bite.”

Cava, a fast-casual restaurant chain known for customizable Mediterranean bowls, salads, pitas, and grain bowls, has expanded rapidly across the United States as demand for Mediterranean-inspired dining has grown. The company responded directly in the video’s comments. “We’re so sorry you found this in your bowl and we’d like to look into this further and make it up to you We sent you a DM!”

The incident prompted plenty of reactions from other TikTok users. One commenter wrote, “I really gotta start paying attention before I bite into food.”

Another added, “I would’ve needed a refund ASAP.” While the video’s close-up appears to show a small winged insect with visible antennae inside the bowl, neither Itsnyjea nor Cava identified exactly what it was.