Wild Pear — Restaurant in Salem

Have you ever experienced walking into a business where every manager and employee genuinely appreciates the strengths of their team members? Well, that's exactly what we found in this remarkable place. They all spoke highly of one another, creating a truly uplifting atmosphere. Including a couple customers when we walked in the first day.

Among the exceptional employees, Riley truly stood out to me as the number one employee. Now, I admit, my perspective may be biased, but she exuded trust, provided exceptional service, and treated all of us with utmost respect. Her demeanor was sweet, kind, curious, caring, friendly, and incredibly helpful. Riley's presence left a lasting impression that will be cherished for a long time. It's worth noting that Riley even spoke highly of the owner, Cicilia, whom I hadn't personally met. According to Riley, Cicilia is an amazing human being and a kind-hearted owner, making her proud to represent the shop.

Both managers, Jordan and Davonie, were equally fantastic. It was Davonie's outstanding customer service on June 26th that enticed us to return the following day, June 27th. Personally, I was drawn to Jordan's bubbly personality, but you can take your pick because both managers were incredibly welcoming. On the first day, there were four of us, and on the second day, we were six—a testament to the positive experience we had.

Christine, another employee who checked us out on the 26th, handled my potentially annoying situation with the utmost grace. Despite my rushed lunch break due to court proceedings, she maintained her composure and interacted with me in the most pleasant manner. Her respectfulness was noteworthy. On the 27th, she was even more friendly and expressed excitement upon seeing us return. She recognized us and inquired if we had more time that day, which demonstrated her genuine care. In my imaginative world, where fairy tales come to life, Christine is an essential character—a true gem.

Before writing this review I called today to get help spelling Davonie name with Taylor, she exuded positivity and spoke highly of her teammates, including Davonie.

In conclusion, this establishment is filled with an extraordinary team. Each employee, including Riley, Jordan, Davonie, and Christine, contributes their unique qualities, creating a harmonious and delightful experience for every visitor.

Riley in my bias eyes will is number one because she went above and beyond the expected best!!! Her smile and attitude has left an indelible impression on my mind; very captivating and unforgettable! I can even say, as a fellow business owner, proudly running a 100% vegetarian Indian food place in Aloha, I am committed to ensuring that each of my customers has an extraordinary experience as Riley along with Jordan provided me!

None the less, Thank You to all of the ...

Your experience might vary but ours was horrendous. Please read this through before going to this place.

For food, we got the steak salad, Spicy Chicken Club sandwich and a bowl of roasted pepper tomato orzo soup.

The steak salad was poor. For one, they did not give us enough dressing so we had to ask for more. The steak was incredibly tough and bland, very unpleasant. Adding insult to injury, the chic peas just tasted like cold mush and it was disgusting. And the bread served was cold and dry.

That tomato orzo dish was by far the worst part of the meal. The entire dish just tasted like tomato paste plus a SPRINKLE of orzo. There was not a hint of pepper. Worse, it can't even be called a soup because the texture was slightly chunk. When we gave feedback to the waiter, she said and I quote "it's pretty much a paste". A PASTE?! That's not soup...it was like marinara sauce from a can. Bread served was cold and dry like the ones from the salad.

If the food wasn't bad enough, we literally waited for 30 minutes after ordering. I really hoped food was going to be worth the wait but was severely disappointed.

Waiters were friendly but inattentive. After serving they just stood in a corner and chatted with each other instead of checking if tables needed attention.

More to complain, the prices are really high at this place. COMPLETELY NOT WORTH THE PRICE.

The only thing acceptable at this restaurant was the spicy chicken club sandwich which was actually tasty, though the chips that came with it tasted pretty much just like oil. I was going to give a 2 star because of the sandwich but everything else sucked.

This restaurant fails in the three fundamentals of a restaurant: food quality, service and value.

Based on the reviews, other dishes may have been good. And service may have been decent on other days. But our experience was really bad. Just don't get that steak salad and orzo soup to save yourself some...

The service was so bad, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry.

I was seated at the bar, and sat there without a water for several minutes while 2 of the staff were having a conversation about nothing work-related (which I don't mind at all, if there's nothing else to do). They were so close that we could've shaken hands, yet they couldn't be bothered to acknowledge me, or serve me. It should be noted that I was the only person seated at the bar. Saying that they weren't busy would be an understatement.

I went to the restroom, and when I returned, the water had been delivered. I waited a while longer, and finally a staff member felt like moseying over.

This is where things became truly strange. She asks me for my drink order. I mention that it's a bit early in the day for a cocktail, as I still had some business to attend to. So she mentions some of their non-alcoholic options, and just as I'm about to ask her for one, she starts laughing maniacally at nothing in particular, and walks towards the back, where she just starts rolling silverware. I sincerely believe she was 'on something' (under the influence - appeared to be stimulants possibly).

For some reason, I continued to sit there for several more minutes to see if maybe someone would allow me to place an order. They would not, so I got up and went to a restaurant that actually, you know, serves food.

Needless to say, I will never be back, and I would advise you to spend your time and money...