Extremely bad service on MOTHERS DAY!

Today we had a very disappointing experience at Kota Joe Alberton.

My husband struggles with low blood sugar, and when his sugar drops, having an Energade or Powerade helps stabilise it quickly. On our way from Mall of the South to lunch, we stopped to buy a Powerade for him.

We arrived at Kota Joe’s intending to spend the afternoon there — ordering drinks, food, and desserts while enjoying a quiet Mother’s Day lunch and a few games of chess with our son. My husband brought the unfinished Powerade in with him while we waited to order.

Instead of being approached professionally, we were met with poor service and dismissive attitudes from both waiters and management. After my husband finished the drink, we continued waiting to be served, but were repeatedly ignored when asking for assistance. Eventually, we were informed that they refused to serve us because of the Powerade.

What made the situation even more upsetting was being approached by bouncers to escort us out while we were trying to explain that we had every intention of spending money there for the entire afternoon — far more than the value of the R15 Powerade that was brought in for medical reasons.

The biggest question we were left with afterwards was this: does the owner of Kota Joe’s know how their waiters and management treat customers?

It is extremely disappointing that a small bottle of Powerade was valued more than customer care, understanding, and basic hospitality. A simple conversation and a little compassion could have handled the situation professionally and respectfully.

Sadly, after today’s experience, Kota Joe’s Alberton has lost our family as customers. We would rather travel further to support establishments that value service, communication, and basic human decency.