Wild Wheat Bakery Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Kent

We're locals and gave this place three visits before deciding how we felt about it. The first time I just wanted bagels and found this place as a bakery; when I saw they were packed for sit-down breakfast I planned to go back the next day to try it. We then tried it again a couple weeks after, and only after that did we look at existing reviews. The food is good, but the service is all over the place. When we just walked in for bagels I did feel the wait for them was a bit long but chalked it up to them toasting them first. The bagels were good and the slice of coconut cake we got was also good.

The first time we went for the sit-down breakfast we waited half an hour for a table but service was fine afterwards. The initial wait was fine as it was a breakfast/brunch place on a Sunday morning so that's to be expected. The food was fine, not amazing but good. The blintzes were nice and not something I've seen at other places. The biscuits and gravy were adequate, not the best we've had but not the worst. Everything was plated nicely. Ambience is a bit basic but there's some art on the walls. Tables are a bit packed together. We realized after that we got non-bakery foods at a bakery-centric restaurant and planned to go back to try again. The second time we went for the sit-down breakfast we were seated right away, though I'll echo a previous review and say we were "pointed" right away by the kid at the front to our table. We were given waters and menus, and ordering didn't take too long. We ordered the eggs benedict and the French toast, two items that utilize their custom bread. The eggs benedict came out at a reasonable time, delivered by a second server, but no French toast with it. We thought it'd be out soon after but wound up waiting at least 20 minutes with nothing. No one came to our table during that time to check on us and while my husband's coffee was dutifully refilled (by a boy that looked maybe 13 years old) water was never refilled. We managed to flag down our original server to check what was going on with the French toast and she said she'd check on it. A few minutes later a third guy (who we'd never seen out on the floor so I assume was kitchen staff) came over and asked "are you missing French toast?" which we confirmed yes we still were. More waiting, then finally a fourth server, not the one we asked to check on the status I might add, came over and dropped off the French toast. No apology for the wait, just "here it is." Our original server eventually came over and mumbled out an apology that was mostly her laughing it off in a "sorry but these things happen, haha" kind of way with no explanation for what happened.

We both tried the French toast and admittedly it was good, the bread seems quality, but at that point I had already finished my own meal and my husband's appetite was pretty much gone from irritation. Still no water refills by the way. When a server did finally show up to ask how things were and drop off the check, I asked if we could get an explanation for what happened and was given a long spiel about meals sometimes going to the wrong table and how they won't just take them back if that happens, which obviously we would never request that and didn't request that. This was us giving them an opening to give us a real apology and/or offer some kind of compensation, but instead of being offered anything we were just given a lecture on the intricacies of serving and how they have some new staff. Though at the same time we were told our original server (who like most of the staff looked fairly young) was actually the manager? And if that's the case it's even worse she couldn't give a real apology to a customer and essentially ran away after we asked for a status update. After that my husband was even more irate and couldn't finish his order. We paid and left (no terribly long wait for that) but the experience ruined our morning. We've decided if we ever do get food from here again it's going to be takeout-only so we don't have to deal with their incompetent and possibly...

A year ago, my husband ordered a take-out with my favorite smoked salmon omelet, along with a meat omelet for himself. The salmon was way over salted, the potatoes were undercooked( literally half-raw crunchy stuff), the egg was over-cooked and rubbery. His omelet was very underwhelming as well. I wrote it off as an odd unpleasant experience, and refused to give up hope on this place. We’ve been it’s loyal customers for a very long while some years ago, after all. A few weeks back, we stopped by on a Saturday afternoon to grab some sandwiches to go. It was very hot (no A/C, no fans running inside btw), the place was super loud and crowded. After I waited in line for 20 mins, and tried to make my order of 3 grilled cheese sandwiches (for the kids), wild smoked salmon Reuben (for myself), and a pastrami Reuben (for my husband), I was informed that they serve only breakfast on weekends, and they can’t make sandwiches. Yes, not even the grilled cheese, which would literally require them to put 2 slices of bread ( which they had in abundance) with some cheese in between in a panini press. The girl at the register was rude and dismissive. At 11:30am their fridge was practically empty of any croissants, savory pastries or cookies, so I left empty handed. The information about them serving only breakfast on the weekend is not communicated anywhere on their website or mass media pages, unless I completely missed it. And here’s the drop that spilled the glass for me. It’s our 12th anniversary for my husband and I. 12 years ago a dear friend of mine, who used to work her way through college at Wild Wheat, gave us Marjolene (Marjolaine) cake as an after-wedding gift for us. And it was amazing! Everything was just right about it. The perfect combination of delicate hazelnut merengue married to rich chocolate buttercream, enveloped in the most decadent chocolate ganache. This cake was the embodiment of my childhood memories from when we would go out to a French bakery with my mom. It became a dessert staple whenever we’d go to Wild Wheat since. So, it became the most obvious dessert choice to celebrate our anniversary this year. I ordered the cake in advance by phoning in, not asking for any changes in the standard design or decor. I just asked for a simple signage “Happy Anniversary” on top. When I came to pick up the cake today it was not signed, and instead or the standard hazelnuts, it had almond slivers around it. That raised the alarm for me, so I double checked with the cashier that it was indeed the Marjolene. He assured me that it was just a different decor that they chose, but the cake inside was indeed the Marjolene. I asked if they could still sign it for me, since it hadn’t been done. He said I’d have to wait for 10 mins, but they would do it. Lo and behold, 37 mins later, after 2 attempts ( first time it looked like my toddler got ahold of the frosting and decided to write smth on a cake- which would be cute if it was indeed my toddler, and not a patisserie chef writing that) of doing the signage, I walked out of the cafe. Sure enough, when we cut into the cake tonight, it was anything and everything, BUT Marjolene. I would assume we got the Chocolate Mousse Cake, but in all honesty it looked like smth you would pick up last minute at you local Safeway. The bottom sponge was soggy, the mousse looked like undercooked pudding, literally falling apart the second you cut into the cake, the top sponge was dry, and the frosting tasted like one of those quick out-of-the box mixes. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. I spent an hour in traffic both ways, driving to the cafe and back home, paid $50+tax+tips, to get something I never wanted, and ruin a highly anticipated by the family dessert time on a special for us holiday. I love Wild Wheat bakery, & I’m staying loyal to their breads that we always get at our local Whole Foods & Central Market, but I will urge everyone I know to STAY AWAY from their cafe/restaurant, until/unless it returns to its former consistent...

I wish I had read the reviews before we came. Then we wouldn’t have gone through what we went through. I wish I could speak to the owner about my experience. I probably won’t get any reply on my review let alone how to contact the owner personally. The above was a add to after reading a lot of the other complaints. If anyone has a way I can contact the owner please let me know.

Three strikes and your out.

You need to understand that I was in the service field for 50 years. I DO know how customers should be treated. That is why I wrote this. It shows that one person can ruin your whole dining experience. Rest assured that we will not return and will not recommend Wild Wheat Cafe as a good place to eat.

My wife and I have only been Wild Wheat Cafe three times. The first time we waited a long time to have our order taken. (There were plenty of staff). There is a woman in a red polo t shirt (manager?) that took our order to include what to drink. We got our drinks and could not get refills before and after our meal arrived. I got the attention of one of the buspersons attention for refills. He took care of us for the rest of our meal. I shook his hand and told him I appreciated his service and gave him the tip we would have left on the table.

The second time we visited we waited approximately 30 minutes after ordering for our meal before it arrived. We were waited on by the same woman in a red polo t shirt. My meal came first and 10 minutes later the meal my wife received was supposed to be two waffles and she was given one. We were told the other waffle would be served soon. I had already started eating before my meal got cold. I had finished my meal and approximately another 10 minutes the other waffle to complete her meal arrived. By this time I had already eaten my meal and my wife almost done with hers. You do the math.

Today August 23rd 2021 we tried again. Same server was at the podium inside the door that has a sign that tells you to “wait to be seated “ She handed us two menus and pointed to a table. I thought that gesture was very rude on her part. It wasn’t so much what she did it was to how she did it, like she didn’t have time for us. The cafe was busy but not all tables/booths were occupied. There were plenty of wait staff on shift. The same woman came shortly and took our food and drink. We sat for approximately 15 minutes without any drinks being served. This time I left the table and found her. Yes I was probably pretty stern when asking when we were supposed to get our drinks. She started to get indignant and stopped and turn away from me ordering someone to get our drinks. Our meals were brought to us by a...