Salted Melon Market & Eatery — Restaurant in Charlotte

VERY POORLY MANAGED!

A group of our friends made a reservation for brunch at 1pm on a Saturday. When we arrived we could barely walk in the door the line was so long to even get to the host stand. There are employees everywhere, multiple people standing around behind the cash registers on the grocery side, multiple people running TO-GO food up to the horribly placed pickup station… but somehow the host, who apparently was the manager, was the only one checking guests in and seating them.

Out of the 10-15 tables in the restaurant, there was only maybe 4-5 seated with guests. The rest of the tables were littered with dirty dishes. And no one seemed to care to buss and clean them.

After waiting well over an hour in the line to get checked in… we finally got to the host stand to check in, only to be told multiple excuses, and that “their kitchen was overrun, and that they may not be able to accommodate our reservation!”. This was very frustrating to hear due to the fact there were only few tables seated at the moment and most already had their food.

We did think about going somewhere else, but because we had friends from out of town and had already made reservations, and we heard good things about the food, we decided to try and wait.

Finally we were seated 45 minutes after our reservation time, and by this point the restaurant was half full. We were served still tap water which was so dirty that it appeared to be sparkling water, with chunks of dirt floating in the bottle. We were still surrounded by dirty empty tables and the bar top was literally covered in unwashed dirty glasses.

Our server was nice, and trying to accommodate us. The food and drinks were decent. So there are no complaints there.

This restaurant is a great idea, and the food and drinks were great… but it goes without saying that the management needs to step up and provide better customer service, and focus as much energy as they have on the decor, into realigning their staff to be able to handle and adequately servicing their guests in in a crowded south...

When I recently checked out The Salted Melon in Charlotte, NC, I was honestly expecting a lot. The atmosphere at first glance was truly amazing. It intrigued me and felt like a wonderful place to work. It seemed as though they really cared about making your experience great and serving excellent food. As I spent more time there, I started to notice some pretty significant red flags. This was a lesson to me to always trust my intuition. When I first got hired, there were already big communication issues, and I wasn’t being kept updated like prior jobs have done for me. I noticed it got worse, especially when management got busy. The management seemed super stressed and all over the place, which really isn't great. They're supposed to be the calm in the storm, keeping everything running smoothly. Instead, the whole atmosphere felt chaotic and disorganized, which definitely took away from the dining experience. It felt like there was a bigger problem with how the staff was trained and managed. From my experience, it just didn't stack up to other places I've worked at in the food industry. It seemed like a lot of the staff were new, which means they have a high turnover rate. That's never a good sign. There were promises made that weren't kept, and I felt like I was told a lot of things that just weren't true. There was also this noticeable tension among the team, making me think there are some real issues with how things are run and how people are treated. Additionally, I felt my pay rates weren't transparent and honest, which added to my concerns. Despite The Salted Melon having what seems like a cool menu and a lot of potential, the way it's being managed and the internal problems are just too big to ignore. It's pretty disappointing to see a place that could be amazing fall short like this. Until they get their act together and sort out these issues, I just can't recommend...

My friend and I decided to come eat here for lunch after she gave great feedback on a salad she had here a while back. This is located in southend so parking can be crazy. They do have side street parking if you are lucky enough to snag a spot or a parking garage, but I believe they do not validate parking. Upon entering, they have a little store set up with a lot of spices, snacks, and jams to look at. This is on the more casual side. You go up to the counter, place your order, and then go sit wherever you'd like, and they bring the food out. I ordered the Street Car bowl. It comes with steak, corn, rice, beans, roasted tomatoes, and red peppers. I also ordered their truffle fries. Now the bowl, tbh was very bland and not tasteful at all. I was initially put off by the THREE pieces of steak they decided to give me. THREE! I ended up cutting them into tiny pieces just so that I could have enough pieces to last me the entire bowl but I felt for $15 that I paid, I could have gotten more than three pieces of steak. The rice and beans had no real flavor at all. It did come with a side sauce, but that didn't really make any flavor pop out. I also added hot sauce but still didn't make a difference. Too me, it was just very bland and nothing spectacular. The truffle fries, though, wrote delicious. I think I enjoyed those most than the bowl itself. I wished they were a bit more crispier, but after a no flavorful dish, I felt like that truffle flavor really made it for me. I also got their cranberry mimosa, which was delicious. Never go bad with a mimosa. I'm not sure if I will come again. With the hassle of parking and bland flavor, it wouldn't be a place I would go out of my way to come back. If I happen too, I may try something different. Overall, the employees were super nice and a very clean,...