LuLu's tells student 'don't ever come back'

Local restaurant LuLu's Burgers told a student not to return to their establishment after he posted a negative comment about the restaurant's food on their Facebook page.

Music major Kraig Reeves posted the comment on Sept. 8 about his experience with the new buffalo chicken sandwich. Reeves said he went through the drive through to order his meal, and when he got home he pulled out, what he called, "a frozen chicken puck…with a small squirt of buffalo sauce on it."

The next day, Reeves returned to the restaurant and was waiting in the drive through for an order of fried pickles, when he decided to comment on LuLu's Facebook wall via his mobile phone. While he was still waiting, the comment was removed from the Facebook page and LuLu's sent him a Facebook message.

The message, which was provided in full to The East Texan by Reeves, read: "that's probably something you shouldn't write on some businesses(sic) Facebook page. I'm sorry your sandwich was not good or up to your standards. $6 meal what do you expect, a hooters buffalo sandwich ? lol. Anyways please don't ever come back."

Reeves responded by saying: "So you're upset with me because the food I bought from your establishment was terrible. Lol."

LuLu's then replied by saying the anger was about the "very negative" comment on the Facebook page, and "this is not yelp, or yahoo reviews."

LuLu's owner Sarj Agha said he does not know who was sending the messages to Reeves and that he along with other employees have access to it. Agha said since the restaurant's Facebook is used for promotions and advertising, negative comments have no place and should be brought up to restaurant staff only.

"If there is a problem with the food, something should be said to the manager or the owner, instead of going on our page and posting that," Agha said. "Our Facebook is used for us to tell people about specials and promotions. Using words like ‘disgusting' is very negative."

Reeves said his comment was intended to share information with other customers.

"I thought ‘I'll just comment on their wall, maybe warn some other people about getting the buffalo chicken sandwich,'" he said. "I wouldn't recommend it, and it's not fair to have other people spend $6 on something that they may not be able to eat."

After Reeves was told a second time he was "not welcome to LuLu's" via Facebook, he responded by saying, "I hope you guys succeed with the ‘business strategy' you are currently following."

LuLu's then said, "my new business strategy will be taking advice from a music major lol."

Some students involved with the marching band would frequent LuLu's on football game days or after rehearsals, according to Reeves.

"People would, after rehearsals on Thursdays and sometimes Fridays before they would go to games, and even Saturday's between our break between morning rehearsal to the game, they would go there," he said. "I've been invited several times, I've gone up there and had a root beer float; that was my favorite thing to get there."

Reeves said he will never go back to Lu Lu's. He also said people have approached him about his conflict with LuLu's.

"People keep coming up to me in the music building and different social events telling me how they are going to support me and not go to LuLu's," he said. "I don't have a stance that anyone should not go there anymore, I'm just appalled and offended by all the things he had to say."

Agha said the messages between LuLu's and Reeves were "not said for everyone to read."