Melting Pot — Restaurant in Wilmington

I brought my daughter here last night for her 23rd birthday! We arrived at 8:00PM for our 8:30 PM reservation and Independence Mall was well lit and absolutely stunning! We were told our seating would be ready closer to our 8:30 reservation but we were extended a welcome to sit and enjoy a drink at the bar while we waited. Immediately upon walking in, the staff was so attentive, kind and welcoming to us. We immediately smelled all of the different aromas of fondue as we walked to our seating. Stacy was our server. She’s such a doll. She was so personable and attentive. We totally underestimated our portions but left so full and content! By the time our S’mores chocolate fondue was being served- we were trying to figure out how we’d pack it up to take home but Stacy helped crack that mystery and took great care of us! Lol. We had the Love Martini and the Island Sangria. Both drinks were nothing shy of delicious! We had such a positive, welcoming experience and had such a great time- we can’t wait to return! ! This had to have been one of my favorite dining experiences ever! It’s not only about the great location and attentive staff- it’s the experience overall! The ratings speak loudly for itself- believe it! I’ve been wanting to find an occasion to celebrate at the Melting Pot and my daughter’s 23rd birthday was the perfect opportunity! The Melting Pot has truly exceeded our expectations! You get so much for your money. This place is worth every dollar spent. There was such a nice variety of items on the menu, too much to pick from on your first visit. That just give us an excuse to return again & again! Lol! Thank you so much, Melting Pot-...

We’re lifelong fans of the Melting Pot and usually have wonderful experiences, however tonight that was not the case. We traveled almost three hours to get there and arrived approximately 30 mins before our reservation. They couldn’t seat us. Ok, fine. So we went and sat at a bar table thinking we could have a drink while waiting for our reservation time. (The restaurant was empty). We sat there for 10-15 minutes with no one coming to see what we would like. The (3) hostess staff and manager all saw us sitting there twiddling our thumbs but no one stopped to say “let me get someone for you”. Finally, I got up and walked over to ask if anyone was working in the bar area. The manager went to find out (?!) and then got our drinks herself. Eventually we were seated and ordered. Everything fine. Cheese fondue is prepared but as we were eating it we noticed it was watery and the cheese wasn’t really sticking to the food. I thought it was just me until my daughter brought it up too. I mentioned it to the manager and she asked if we wanted another (no, we already ate it and are ready for dessert). So she said she would “take off our dessert”. The cheese was the issue and it was $24. She took $12 off the bill. Not sure the thinking behind that. Our waiter didn’t have a whole lot to say and didn’t really ask us if we wanted certain ingredients or tell us about how anything worked. It was mostly silence while he prepared our food. Proper training (of wait staff, hostess staff and it seems managerial) seems to be lacking these days and we paid the price with inferior food quantity and service. Hopefully it was only one incident and not a sign...

DH and I have a long history with an iconic fondue restaurant in CA, including our first date, where we got engaged, anniversary dinners, etc... We've been very lucky to find the Melting Pot restaurants when we aren't back in CA for our anniversary. This is the 3rd Melting Pot in 17 years at which we've celebrated, and it did not disappoint. The menu is full, clear, and varied enough from which to choose three to four proteins. The drink menu offered enough options to keep us debating for almost 10 minutes. The meal, served in 4 courses (Do yourself a huge favor and take your salad to go. There are plenty of other veggies available and you'll actually have room for dessert!) is well presented, delicious, and fun - seeing that you get to cook it all yourself! Our waitress was great - super friendly, helpful, but not too present. If I had to nitpick I'd say I felt a little too aware of being moved along, and that, at a corner both for 2, we either had to sit at 90° to each other to both reach the fondue pot, or we could sit closer to each other but one person had to do all the dipping (the option we chose). Fondue is equally enjoyable for adults and children (~5+) and I'd recommend this Melting Pot to anyone. The parking is easy and free, the restaurant is well lit without being glaringly bright, and while there is ample background noise, it stayed just that, in the background. We saw families, birthday groups, couples, etc... all seem to enjoying their meals. We'll...