No customer should ever be required to pay for spoiled food that they did not eat.

You cannot force a customer to pay for a meal they have not eaten — especially when the food is spoiled.

I am a regular customer at Lupa. During my recent visit to the Durban North branch, I ordered the prawn pasta. When it arrived, the cream sauce was sour, indicating that it was off. I did not eat the meal at all — I only tasted the sauce to confirm the problem and immediately called the manager, Shaun, to the table.

After I complained, the manager brought cream from the kitchen and asked me to taste it. The cream was also sour, and I clearly pointed this out. The dish was sent back to the kitchen and not consumed, yet I was still forced to pay for the meal when the bill arrived.

This was unacceptable and left me feeling disrespected and violated as a customer. Forcing payment for food that was not eaten and was unfit for consumption goes against basic customer service principles and South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act, which entitles customers to safe, good-quality food.

As a loyal customer, I expected far better treatment. This experience has severely damaged my trust in the establishment, and I sincerely hope management reviews both food safety standards and how customer complaints are handled.