In the age of social media, some customers consider the aesthetics of food when placing their orders.
As such, food businesses are expected to deliver, especially when they promote products based on their appearance.
On Saturday (14 Feb), a woman took to Threads to express her disappointment after receiving an underwhelming Gravity Matcha drink from a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlet in Malaysia.
In her post, the original poster (OP) mentioned that she ordered the particular drink “because the picture looks full and aesthetic”.
Source: @cheri.life_ on Threads
However, what she received did not meet her expectations.
While she noted that the separate cup of ice was a request, the half-filled cup of Gravity Matcha was certainly not.
The woman mentioned that the drink was “not very Instagram-worthy like the promo photo”.
She also shared a screenshot of the product’s listing, which described the Gravity Matcha as “Instagram-worthy”.
Source: @cheri.life_ on Threads
The OP also complained that the portion was too small for RM15 (S$4.85), adding that it looked like a “kid’s drink”.
Several netizens who commented on her post agreed that the portion size did not match the drink’s relatively hefty price tag.
One user also called out a Gravity Series promo photo as “very misleading”.
The photo displayed three Gravity Series drinks in takeaway cups, all filled to the brim.
Source: @melvinhatesyou on Threads
Another netizen wondered if the issue could be reported to Malaysia’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN).
In response to the OP’s post, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Malaysia said on its official Threads account that the Gravity Series is a speciality drink.
It explained that its takeaway cups are “slightly larger for safe handling”, adding that the customer received the correct amount of the drink.
It said the liquid is measured to “ensure the perfect balance of pistachio milk and flavour”.
“We highly recommend enjoying this series for dine-in to experience the chilled glassware and layering as intended!” its response read.
Amar Shah, the Managing Director of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Malaysia, also replied to the OP’s post explaining that the drink’s “layered ‘gravity’ effect can make the liquid level appear lower”.
“We’re currently reviewing the beverage yield and will fix this soon without any change to price,” he added.
Source: @amarshah_cbtl on Threads
However, a netizen who claimed to have ordered the drink for dine-in showed that the glass of Gravity Matcha he was served at the store was half-full.
They also added that the drink was not chilled enough.
Source: @iqbalsukor on Threads
Meanwhile, another user slammed the business for using an inaccurate photo to advertise the drink, calling its excuse “pathetic”.
“Don’t give customers silly explanations that the advertised picture and liquid content is only applicable if u dine in,” the user wrote.
Source: @cheri.life_ on Threads
MS News has reached out to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Malaysia for a statement.
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Featured image adapted from @cheri.life_ on Threads.