Popular TikToker Nick Bateman (not to be confused with the Canadian actor Nick Bateman) found a ‘sentient’ piece of spinach in his Cava bowl. He called out the establishment on X, earning an almost immediate response from them.
Bateman shared his discovery on his official X account, @nickbateman33, and gained over 760,000 views as of publication. The bowl contained rice surrounded by spinach.
One of the pieces of spinach in my @cava bowl today became fully sentient out of nowhere and starting WALKING
— Nick Bateman (@nickbateman33) August 13, 2026
Need lawyer recs ASAP and am demanding free cava for life at MINIMUM pic.twitter.com/maabrIyCth
But there was one more unmistakable detail he highlighted: a green bug that seemed to emerge from the bed of spinach, according to the basketball commentator. The insect appeared to be covered in dressing and was moving upward.
In the caption, he tagged Cava and informed them that not only did one of the spinach pieces come alive, but it started walking. He also added that he wanted a lawyer’s opinion on how to proceed further and asked for free Cava for life to make up for it.
Oh no!! We are so sorry to hear about this? Can you reach out to us at https://t.co/eLbIG5Sbii with your order information so we can make this right and have it properly addressed with our restaurant team?
— CAVA (@cava) August 13, 2026
Shortly after it was posted, the Mediterranean restaurant chain reached out to the TikToker in the comments. They apologized and attached a link to their ‘Support’ website, and asked him to share the details of his order so they could “make it right.”
They also told him that it was so that they could discuss it with the specific restaurant location that sent out the bug order. Not long after, the content creator replied to the apology, saying, “I am prepared to hear your offer right here in public, in front of everyone.”
X Told TikToker Nick Bateman to Pursue Accountability.
In the comments thread, his followers encouraged the TikToker to pursue the matter and continue to demand accountability. A user said in the thread, “Cook them, Nick! Don’t back down!”
Similarly, another noted the lack of reply (yet) and said, “@cava no response is a HUGE response.” Cava had not responded to Bateman's public reply as of publication.
“Nick should absolutely NOT eat that thing”
— Nick Bateman (@nickbateman33) August 13, 2026
Too late thanks a lot cava!
But the discovery did spark some traction among his fans on X. Many criticized the establishment and the alleged neglect. A user said, “I am so disgusted, I will NEVER eat here again!” Others seemed grossed out by it and flooded the thread with GIFs and jokes.
Speaking of jokes, users also commented on the ‘extra protein’ he would get should he eat it. A user said, “That’s just the extra protein boost.” Bateman has yet to share an update on Cava’s response.
This article is based on posts shared by @nickbateman33 on X. The Daily Dot could not independently verify the contents of the bowl or the nature of the insect shown. Cava's public X response is noted above; the company did not respond to a separate request for comment from The Daily Dot.
