The Wilder — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

One amazing wonderful star for FANTASTIC MUSIC. Everything else falls away for the horrendous service. Because there is no cover charge, the place is generally empty before midnight. I’ve been here a few times and hopeful of pulling together a big crowd I made reservations for 25-30 people on a Saturday night. Let’s be clear, this is not meant to be a sit down spot for dinner. So people were balancing plates on their laps. Also, the crowd I had was over 40. However when I walked in one of the servers asked me for a credit card which I was happy to give. But about 9:30 pm the manager Brandon started chasing me to pay the bill. It was almost funny, because it was my birthday, and I don’t drink and of course my friends were going to pay. It was insane the way they were chasing me to pay immediately, almost as if they were afraid that 30 grown women were going to bounce on the check! It was highly embarrassing. Because the music was so loud, I was trying to explain that the girls online who I was corresponding with to make the reservations, never told me only one card was allowed. What I did manage to hear was him say there was no need for me to use my hands! My hands! I was talking with my hands (I’ve been doing this my whole life) and a manager 20 years younger than me was trying to put me in my place! Needless to say that check for the plate balanced apps was not even $300 and the fuss was horrible. I was trying not to leave because I was so frustrated. My friends were all trying to pay the bill. They were holding my Amex like this was a $50,000 bill. I had people coming in all night dancing and ordering drinks and supporting the business but the behavior by Brandon was horrendous. We talked about it for days. I was trying to make excuses. Especially that we were all in the foodservice industry. Perhaps he is used to very young people who get so wasted and walk out on the check? Not sure but he was so quick to run out with sirens and sparklers for the very young girls celebrating. It was very odd. What was portrayed to us was because we were an older crowd, it didn’t fit their vibe. Damn shame, the wilder should look at their staff. Be grateful you had a good total of 50 heads in there that night purchasing better alcohol, and lots of food. The over 40 crowd does pay their checks and has better palates but you...

We were there last night for a Valentine's Day romantic evening. It did not disappoint! We had never been to The Wilder before so we weren't sure what to expect. First off, the place is, indeed, romantic, sexy-ish, and waaaaay charming! We did have to wait a bit before being seated but, as I saw it, they were trying hard and were a little slammed. When Dina, the hostess, got to us, everything was good. Even though she was juggling a lot, she was professional, courteous and seemed to have everything as much under control as possible for a "special occasion" night. We sat outside and absolutely loved the ambiance of the courtyard. Next, our server, Giorgio, passed by to say he would be with us soon, which was greatly appreciated. It was clear that they were perhaps a bit short-staffed or just super slammed but I was most impressed that none of them lost their cool or seemed flustered or frustrated. We ordered from the Prix-fixe menu. It took a while for the food to come but they did something that made it work, They brought one of the two appetizers we had ordered so at least we had something to nibble on. It was the crab cake and was deeeelicious! Eventually, the second appetizer came with apologies for the slowness, about which we did not care. It was equally delicious. The main courses were next and , again, only one came first but, again, we loved sharing until the other came. It was then that one of the nicest things happened...Dina came over and expressed how sorry she was that things were a bit slow. That simple act of acknowledgement meant a great deal and, as we told her, we were there for a nice, easy romantic Valentine's Day and that's EXACTLY what we got. But her simple 10 second effort to pass by each table to let us know that SHE knew things were moving slower was such a nice touch. Finally, the food was terrific. crab cakes, scallops, Wagyu, flan, chocolate mouse cake...everything really good. We didn't know what to expect when we arrived and we left thanking Giorgio and Dina and already making plans to return...with friends! The small plate concept works perfectly for our style which is to try lots of different food. By the way, the music is also really terrific. Great choices and mixes (although definitely WAY too loud, my only critique.) Can't wait to go back to the...

The first time I went, we had a great server named Natalia and the bartender Chase was fabulous! The vibe and service were so spot-on that we didn’t mind paying the automatic 20% tip up charge. In fact, we tipped them more. Since we had such a great experience the first time, we went back last Tuesday 8/5/24. We had a polar opposite experience. Being that we were the only patrons in the place, I politely asked our server Monica if they could turn down the music a bit or suggest another area that we could sit that wasn’t as loud. She declined, so I asked for the manager on duty. The “manager/DJ” with the man-bun came over with an attitude and told us due to corporate policy, she couldn’t lower the volume. I explained that one of our four group members is hard-of-hearing so that’s why we were requesting it and/or if they could accommodate us in a better location. Instead we sat under the speaker and it was tough to hear each other even for those who aren’t compromised. When we were about to leave on the way to the ladies room, I noticed the seats in the back had speakers, but they weren’t turned on. Those workers could’ve suggested that, but I get the feeling they really don’t care much about giving their customers a pleasant experience. Once again the food was excellent. The food isn’t going to be the reason this place fails- it’s the lousy service. The curry chicken pot pie, mussels, carpaccio salad & other bites were just great! On the other hand, the service was terrible. Some people don’t belong in the hospitality industry and that was our server Monica and the manager. No one brought us menus, cleared our plates, refilled our drinks, checked on us, gave us silverware and the check took a really long time. When we were charged the 20%, I knew it was going to be a while if I ever return again. It’s inexcusable they can’t give decent service considering how many people were there. I also called management the next day and no one bothered to respond. Good Luck Wilder! It’s a great location, nice venue and great food, but gratuity is based on the service. Patrons should have the choice on what amount...