Wild Oats Bakery & Café — Restaurant in Brunswick

The restaurant is now located on admiral. New location and new spaces. We had really high expectations because the outside seating was large and well spaced. The building looked fantastic, bigger and more impressive. The blue color really made the place stand out. Wild Oats has never been a low cost experience but in the new location we had high expectations. We figured lower operating costs or own location and out from the hidden old corner with limited parking in the middle of town.

Are you used to premium products and premium pricing? Do you buy Apple Products because they work and the packaging makes you feel like you bought a premium product? Well, Wild Oats has the premium pricing figured out. We ordered two quiches. I was expecting a deep dish quiche and a generous helping but what we got was more like a quiche pancake probably about 4oz in weight. It was tasty and flavorful. We also ordered the Tso cauliflower it was limp and floury tasting mostly sauce not so much cauliflower. It felt old —not fresh. The final insult was that we paid $9 for a cream puff and it was put in the bag chocolate frosting side down so the chocolate was stuck to the bag when we opened it. All in all for two quiches 2 coffees small cauliflower and 1 cream puff we paid $49. I never mention what I pay at a restaurant usually because I feel if you can’t afford it don’t go. However, I think it is important for folks to know there is no alignment between quality and quantity of food and it’s presentation, packaging, and customer service. The coffee wasn’t any better than Dunkin Donuts and for the cream puff I could have bought a dozen eclair at Dunkin Donuts and they don’t serve them chocolate side down. To be honest the chocolate quality between the two restaurants is incomparable, Wild Oats chocolate is much better but who would eat a dozen eclair. The packaging was sad and new way of shopping and waiting to pay while your warm food sits at a window beyond the cash registers just misses the mark. Our hot quiches were cold by the time we got to them. If this were an operating system I would say it was a downgrade. Avoid WildOats unless you just want to make a statement and drop some cash. Much better places in...

UPDATE: Considering the prices here, customers deserve organic foods.

There's much to like about Wild Oats. For those who haven't dined here, this is my concise impression: imagine yourself opening a restaurant/cafe with unlimited funds and that could be Wild Oats. I was initially impressed by the ocean of goods from which to choose. Then, you'll see a soup buffet that is extensive and well-organized. A few steps later you'll find the sandwich department with clear menus explaining the offerings available as well as the "custom" possibilities. And this big enterprise is fully-staffed at every point which is vitally important to keep this café from getting bogged down during busy times. After receiving my order, I walked into the inside dining area which is huge. From there I could have dined outside considering the large number of tables available there. Amazing! Notes: On the door, they have a notice that says only service dogs are allowed inside but NO pet dogs. I luv that! So many eateries don't have the guts to tell dog owners to take their pet outside. Not here! Now, here's a couple of criticisms: There are choices of sandwich breads available. I selected honey-oat. That was a bad choice. That bread is much too weak to be a sandwich bread. My veggie sandwich was falling apart because the bread was falling apart with the first bite. I can't say how the other bread choices hold up, but the honey-oat doesn't work. I wish they had a sourdough roll available but no such luck. Lastly, and I note this reluctantly, the pricing here is at top of scale. I had a simple veggie sandwich and a soda and that set me back $15+ I was hopeful that this large operation would bring economy of scale to the pricing but that wasn't to be. It's expensive. As someone who often frequents cafés in the morning, W.O. is simply too pricey for it to become a regular stop. As for their web profile, it's disappointing to see their virtue signalling...i.e. "LGBTQ+ friendly," "woman run business." Aren't we passed bombarding customers with...

It's fine. Prices are a little astounding, but they use good ingredients and make good sandwiches. I paid $21 for a sandwich, a drink, and the smallest bag of chips. That's too much right to start. Then they are going to ask for a tip when you pay. Then, they are going to ask you to wipe down tables for them because of staff shortages.

Took a while to get the food, and spent more time here than I wanted. It wasn't busy when I was there, so I'm not sure what it was. Maybe call-in orders.

So, on to this whole business of sanitizing your own tables with spray and towels because of staff shortages. Eh. Not sure about that. It's not like you need to sanitize a picnic table after you sit there. Seems like a stretch. Maybe we could sweep the floor too, why stop at wiping down tables? I'm the guy who always cleans the table, and always returns the shopping cart, but how about if we don't have to feel latent guilt about wiping down tables after I ate a $21 cold lunch. I'll jump off my soap box now. I don't mind doing my part. I don't think it's their place to ask us to. I guess that's what bothers me. I'm sure there will be a very gracious, kind response from the management, but I think everyone knows...