The Melting Pot-Minneapolis

The following is a copy of the note that I sent to The Melting Pot - Minneapolis: ""On Wednesday evening (10/19), my wife and I dined at your restaurant. My wife had two $50 gift certificates. The gift certificates had been given to my wife by associates of hers who own a magazine based in the Twin Cities. The certificates had been used as payment for advertising space in the magazine, and were later transferred to our possession. When we entered the restaurant we checked with the hostess to assure that we could use both certificates to their full value. There was a note on the back of each certificate stating that, despite a fine print disclaimer stating to the contrary, both certificates could be used at the same table. I would like to reiterate that we checked, and were assured that both certificates would be fully honored. After being seated, a server came to give us water. After five minutes, she came back to tell us that we would have a new server. Our new server stated that the first server's shift had ended, and she had gone home. We saw our first server 50 minutes later, serving another table. My initial thought is that there is absolutely no need to lie to us. My second thought was, of course, suspicion as to why we were lied to. It struck a chord. Next, the manager came to our table. He did not introduce himself as the manager (we only discovered that he was the manager when the server stopped by), and we did not see him stop at any other tables. Judging by his demeanor, it felt as though we were being sized up. I should add that I am African-American, and my wife is Mexican-American. Unfortunately, being sized up in retail establishments, and restaurants is not a new thing for either of us. We obviously live in a society that has not fully shaken its problems with racism. So after allowing us to order based on the full $100 of our gift certificates, you can imagine our surprise when the server came out and said that his manager had told him that our $100 in gift certificates would only be honored as $83. We were told that the computer wouldn't allow our meal to be rung up any other way. Being someone who has worked in retail, as well as a person who has friends who have developed software for retail establishments, I know that this statement was completely false. A proper manager can find a way to get around such matters. The only conclusion that we could draw is that we had been sized up as two people (of color) who could not be trusted, and did not have the class to properly compensate our server with the tip that he had earned. We were livid. However, we are people with class and manners, and, rather than raising a fuss, we decided to deal with this matter through official channels. It is clear to us, unfortunately, that the manager of The Melting Pot, with whom we spoke earlier was not a person of the high ethical standard that we hold ourselves to. Not only that, but the man was a coward who could not deliver this fake information himself. So our server had been sent out to deliver a second blatant lie. We paid our wrongly inflated bill (feeling robbed, as our bill should have been $3 + tax), and paid a $25.00 tip. We will be going to the corporate HQ of The Melting Pot with this story, as well as to all of our friends. We have many friends. We have posted reviews [online], and relayed our story over our Facebook networks. At least 30 people have already told us that they will never go to The Melting Pot. We will also be relaying our story to the owners of the magazine who gave us the certificates, and have now been swindled for advertising space in their publication. I am confident that this was a case of racial profiling, as well as a case of theft. It is wrong, and it will be know to all that are willing to pay attention, and stand up for social justice. I hope those few dollars were worth it to your pathetic establishment."" more

$80 for two....Received a few shrimp, a few pieces of steak, more of chicken. We didn't get full from this meal!!! Had cheese fondue first with a few pieces of vegetables to dip...lots of carrots, 3 pieces of cauliflower, 3 pieces of broccoli florets. I asked the waiter if he really thought this was worth $40 apiece??? He shrugged. more

Wow This was a complete waste of time dining experience. Is it possible to leave hungrier then when we arrived? That practIcally happened. We spent so much money on the worst meal we ever had. The food was sparse, the cost was exorbitant. We felt like we paid 100 for very lame appetizers. Our first course was a cheese fondue, it was thin and soupy the cheese was stringy and gross. We were served a ramekin of veggies containing 3 broccoli florets, 4 pieces of baby carrots and 3 cauliflower florets, and a small bowl of stale bread pieces. I was willing to let this go looking forward to the entree. Little did i know this was the biggest part of the meal. When our entree arrived we, my husband and I, split the 4 pieces of mushrooms, 4 spears of asparagus, 4 artichoke hearts, 4 small pieces of tofu,and ONE ravioli. All this was to be boiled in the pot of what? looked like pink water.When we devoured our ""meal"" our check arrives and we are shocked to see our bill! We paid $70.00 for this? I am warning all diners avoid this place unless you are dieting and enjoy spending a ton of money for grocery store veggies more

Our server and bus boy turned up the oil on our main course to high and it fried all of our main course meat to a crisp! I left a piece of steak in the pot for 30 seconds and it was black on the outside and pink on the inside still! When I told the waiter, the manager came over and explain how it was our fault and how cooking in oil is ""tricky"". I've worked in three kitchens and I felt humiliated being talked to this way. It was a waste of $28 a plate. The service also really wasn't that great that night. I am definitely wary of going back to the Melting Pot. more

If I'm going to spend over 200 bucks for a meal, I expect that meal to be cooked for me by a professional chef. If I wanted to cook my own food, I'd stay home and cook my own food. It would be one thing if this place was cheap. But the prices suggest you're being served something spectacular, which is absolutely NOT the case. This is the worst sort of rip-off--designed to appeal to the sort of people who think a great dining ""experience"" is going to a place where they cut your tie in half when you walk in the door. Fun? Hardly. Pros: Good service Cons: Overpriced, tiny portions more

The Melting Pot was a blast!! We had such a good time. The staff was extremely friendly and seemed like they were having a good time. The guest service interaction was outstanding and we also really enjoyed the 10 page wine list. It was a very well rounded experience. Somewhere you could go with a date for a romantic evening or somewhere you could go with a bunch of girlfriends for a bachelorette party. I highly recommend it. Pros: amazing wine, very fun, young staff Cons: wish we would have stayed longer more

We were very disappointed in the service. Although our waitress was courteous and attentive, when I asked ""So that will be $90.00 (for the Big Night Out order)?"" She answered ""Yes, but that's for everything."" I took this to mean our entire meal (two adults, two children), but she meant for two people. She actually brought us two Big Night Out orders. Because of this misunderstanding in ordering, we paid $100.00 more than we were expecting. Really put a damper on our celebration. Bummer of an experience!!! The misunderstanding was part our fault, part our server's fault, but management took a hard line and was unwilling to meet us half-way. The food was very tasty(except the dessert, which was more like chocolate syrup than melted chocolate), but I would not recommend this as a ""Big Night Out"" unless you are VERY careful about ordering and willing to spend big bucks! Pros: Tasty food Cons: low customer satisfaction more

I went to the restaurant in Minneapolis, MN last weekend without a reservation (as I had done several times in the past). In my party, there was a conservative lady wearing an Islamic head scarf. As we were greeted at the door at 4:02 in the afternoon at this vacant restaurant at that hour, the guy greeting us refused to seat us and said without a reservation, the earliest opening he had was at 9:30 p.m. We left in shock, but then I decided to call in a reservation and immediately found one at 4:30 at the very same restaurant. We decided to go in to prove a point to the person at the door. After being seated, I asked to speak to a manager who offered nothing but his gratitude that I mentioned it to him - without an apology. Pros: Great food Cons: Rude employees more

There have only been 2 occasions in my life that I have been angered by a restaruant, and this is one of them. NOTHING WAS FRESH. NOTHING. This is the $90 dinner for 2: We chose the Fiesta Fondue: comes with a handful of tostitos (yes, chips from a bag) and chopped up squishy white bread that you could buy at a gas station.1 dixie cup sized container of chopped up carrots, celery and cauliflower, and a dixie cup of diced apples. For the salad course we chose the ""california"" salad. I have waited tables for 10+ years from places like Perkins all the way up to Nobu in NYC, and I know a pre-made and saran wrapped plate of salad when I see/taste it. The lettuce was BROWN and the whole thing was a soggy mess and had obviously been made hours before and stowed in a fridge. The dressing was familiar, as immediately I could tell it was Kraft raspberry dressing. What a huge disappointment. Main Course: one medium sized plate of DEFROSTED raw meat that you are supposed to dip in this hot mess of liquid that tasted like straight up vinegar. Plus, how safe is it to serve up a plate of raw meat? my dining partner ordered ""the vegetarian"" and was so upset when she got a medium sized plate of defrosted vegetables, which included 5 small cubes of defrosted tofu and quarter sized peices of soggy defrosted ravioli. It's really obvious when tofu has been frozen and defrosted because it changes to a spongy texture, and this stuff was oozing water. I tasted it and one of the peices of defrosted eggplant and had to spitit out it was so disgusing. This ""entree"" was $22. yes, $22 for a plate of chopped up vegetables. The dessert was PASSABLE, but only for a place like the olive garden or a perkins. We were told it would be enough to share for 3, but was only about enough for 2 people if they really didn't like sweets. We did ask for more and were given an extra side dish of stuff to dip, but for this kind of money one would expect a lot more. I have never been so unhappy in my life upon leaving a restaruant. It's one thing to eat really lousy food, but another thing entirely when that really lousy food costs you over $200. Pros: NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING Cons: everything. I don't even know where to begin. more

I like to try new things, but sometimes it turns out bad. My family decided to bring my mom to the Meltingpot for a birthday celebration, and made the reservations informing the restaurant that the dinner was for a birthday. Upon entering the restaurant there were 3 messy young men caught up in their own world. After standing there for a few seconds we were greeted with confusion, the men were trying to decide who would bring us to our table. We sat down and were there for at least ten minutes before our waiter acknowledged us, then we still had to wait for water. The portions were not what I expected (small) and the food was VERY over priced for the quality and portion size, not to mention with fondue you are basically cooking your own food. The waiter talked so fast, confused us as to the cooking times of all different meats, and the prices for the cooking broths are 7$ each. One wpould think it would be included in the 90$ meal...I WOULD NEVER GO BACK, I do not recommend it at all! Pros: the cheese course was the best part Cons: service, main course, way too over priced more

Last summer was the first time I'd eaten at this restaurant outside of the Chicago area. I am NOT new to this restaurant, this style of dining, nor am I new to dining out in general. I am what one would call an experienced diner. I have had wonderful experiences at the Melting Pots in Illinois what my friends and I encountered at the Minneapolis location was enough for me to write my first ever angry letter to a restaurants corporate office. Pros: Can be a fun and delicious dining experience Cons: Poor service more

I don't get the negative reviews I just read below this. My friends and I go to the meltingpot at least once every two months and we always have a great time. The staff are very entertaining and knowledgeable with thier wine list, and the food is fantastic! Oh wait, It's expensive, right? Uh, not really, well maybe if you do all four courses and sit for three hours, but then again, name one fine dining establishment in downtown that isn't? Took awhile to get your check straight? You bet it does when you split checks, need change, give other people money to give to your server, switch seats, etc. The Meltingpot is great for all parties and functions. People who do not know how to fine dine are not good for the Meltingpot or downtown restaurants period. But don't worry naysayers, I'm sure theres an Old Country Buffet near you who would love your buisness. Pros: Great food( Lobster Indulgence), AMAZING winelist more

I was in a large group, we had gotten reservations a while before (which, by the way, we were given the run-around on) and we had specifically told the event coordinator that we needed separate checks and had circled that option on the contract. We were also given a cost of $15 per person for a cheese course and a chocolate course. Pros: Food, Comfortable Seating, Wine Cons: Service, Management, Parking more

I was in a group who were all looking forward to a night out with fondue, but I wish we'd found another fondue restaurant. While the food was good, the service was the worst I've ever had. Our waiter (Eric, as another reviewer mentioned) rarely stopped by our table, and because he screwed up the splitting of the check it took us longer waiting for our check than it took us to eat our food. An hour and a half after the ""It'll just be five minutes"" speech, he came back and blamed the wait on the computer. Pros: Cheese and chocolate fondues were good Cons: Service was TERRIBLE more

Went to the MeltingPot for a Bachlorette pary. Great food! Terrible service. Well, we had terrible service. it took us 2 HOURS to get our check. The manager never apoloized, and the waiter, Eric, was rude and only made excuses. We originally were charged an extra $100--that got taken off. more waiting. One of our party members was sitting on a meter and was afraid that she was going to get ticketed or towed, since she only brought enough change for a normal night out. AND we were still charged the 18% gratuity for parties over 6. I would not have tipped our waiter. I did, infact, write out an ""additional tip"" on how to use a calculator. Pros: Good Food Cons: AWFUL Customer Service on several levels. REALLY REALLY BAD more

Very nice atmosphere, good service, great food. We went on a Wednesday and it was not busy, we were seated immediately. We ordered the Big Night Out ($90 per couple) which included a cheese fondue, salad, entree and chocolate fondue. Dinner took about 2 hours and was very enjoyable, would recommend for a special occasion. Total bill with 2 drinks each and tip was $150. Pros: Service, Food, Atmosphere, Experience Cons: Very Expensive more

I would just like preface by saying that I am reviewing as a longtime server and someone who has worked in the service industry for almost a decade now. I am a fan of this restaurant, and am irritated by other customers' bad reviews. When I dine here I know that being in the heart of downtown, it is a restaurant that you should plan on spending more money than somewhere in the suburbs, that sales and alcohol tax is higher, and that it will be harder to get reservations than it is at your local Olive Garden. Knowing this, I make reservations at least a two weeks in advance, and I would NEVER expect to just walk-in. The nature of the restaurant is not one in which you just sit and order your food and then leave. Fondue is a dining experience, and you should expect to spend the time and money it takes to have that experience created for you. The food may be overpriced, but the price is definitely worth the amount of work and attention that the staff provides to you. This is not a restaurant where your server just drops off your entree and brings you your drinks. My servers have actually been the ones making the food at the table, not to mention spending 10 plus minutes explaining how fondue works for guests that I've brought along who have never done fondue before. Not to mention an excellent wine list at great, great prices. I will admit that it is dissappointing to have to wait for a reservation when I show up on time, but knowing how the industry works, and the fact that fondue is a long meal, I know that people sit for 3 plus hours, which must cut into other reservation times. I in no way would blame the restaurant for a long wait, but I instead blame inexperienced diners who have no common courtesy for other guests at the restaurant. I have been a guest here since it opened in 2003 and will continue to dine here. However, I do reserve it for special occasions and I never just drop in for a quick bite to eat. Pros: Good service, great experience Cons: Hard to get reservations more

First let me start off by saying my first and only visit was okay, however, the food was pricier than expected and 6 of us dined at a long booth with only two pots, which not only made it uncomfortable to dine (when you have to constantly reach across the person next to you to get your food), but we wanted to order 3 separate couple's dinners (Big Night Out), and while we were charge for three, keep in mind, we only had two pots. I'm not sure that what we got was what we should have got had we had three fondue pots. The food was pretty decent, however, I didn't really get enough (constantly getting up and reaching across was a bit of an ordeal) and decided it might be nice to try again with a smaller group (2-4 people). Pros: Cute concept Cons: Unorganized reservation system, poor customer service, overpriced food more

I went there on a Thursday night and had made reservations. I arrived early and was allowed to wait in the bar area while they prepared our table. They had the table made up and allowed us to seated before the time of the reservation. The dining room was very beautiful and intimate. We had views of the building across the street. We only came there to get desserts because we had already eaten supper. It was very pricey . Around $80 for our small group. The meal was very delicous, but there wasn't much food to dip in the fondue and we ran out of the fonue quickly. But for the most part I enjoyed it and would go back again. Pros: Delicous Cons: Pricey more

My fiance and I stopped in for dinner last night, we didn't make reservations although have heard that we probably should on weekends. I figured Tuesday night wouldn't be so hectic & it wasn't so we had no problems being seated. The place was quiet, lighting was dim, setting was intimate. I usually make fondue at home but was curious to see how a real fondue place prepares the food. The first thing I noticed after getting the menu was the price, dinner for 2 will easily put you over $100 bucks! We selected a course from the ""Big Night Out"" menu which was $90/couple. That came w/veggies, shrimp, lobster tail, filet mignon, chicken potstickers and a couple other items. We also went w/a fiesta cheese fondue. The cheese fondue came out almost immediately. It tasted like velveeta cheese and salsa- nothing special. After we finished the cheese, we waited a super long time for our main course. I was getting annoyed with our server because she kept trying to get us to order more drinks (I'm sure it was to keep us occupied while wating). When it finally came out I was extremely disappointed with how small the portions were! (AND I don't even eat a lot!!!)? my poor fiance? he totally was bummed. Our server quickly went over how long each item should be cooked & warned us to not eat off our fondue sticks since they would be scortching hot! (she was right about that!) Anyway, we skipped dessert, total bill was $184. and some change. To sum it up, I think you'll be better off melting velveeta cheese, chicken broth and hershey's choclate in your fondue set at home for more than 1/2 the price! This place is ridiculously overpriced! more