Melting Pot

My fiancé and I are both vegan and I am gluten free as well. I was so excited to find that The Melting Pot had a vegan menu and clearly stated everything could be accommodated as gluten free. When we arrived we were asked our dietary restrictions which we told them vegan and gluten free. We then were not given a vegan menu. The waiter came over very quickly asking as our order and we felt rushed so we ordered from memory online stating we wanted the four course vegan meals and to made the changes for it to all be gluten free. The waiter seemed to understand the request and repeated it back to us. The vegan cheese was great and the first course went well. We were then brought our house salads with a creamy mustard sauce that, since we order the vegan 4 course meals, we assumed was vegan and ate. We then got our entrees and were given a tray of sauces all of which had dairy, eggs, fish, gluten and/or milk. That prompted us to then look at the allergen menu online and the dressing we were given for our salads had egg in it, which of course is not vegan. We ate our entrees just without the sauce. We then were brought desert and received the gluten free dippers with vegan chocolate. All of the gluten free deserts have milk and egg in them so those are not vegan. We then told the waiter and they brought over a little bowl of fruit and the check. At that point we didn’t want to ask for anything else so left the majority of the chocolate to go to waste. Our bill was then $20 higher than the online listed price which we disputed and they honored. We are so glad to see a chain restaurant having dietary restriction menus but feel if you are going to offer these then the customer should be able to trust that they aren’t going to be served foods they do not eat and the employees need to be trained on these menus. It’s a shame because I don’t think we would feel comfortable going back despite the cheese and chocolate actually both being very good and it being otherwise a fun experience.

Melting Pot was the perfect place to have our anniversary dinner. Gluten free food is so easy here you barely have to mention it. It's clear on the regular menu so no extra steps and questions. For ASD, this may be the ideal place for people who are hypersensitive. Its quiet and most seats dont allow you to see any other patrons. I usually don't call out waitstaff but Pachi needs an award. Any waiter here can bring you a delishious meal. Ask for Pachi if you want a photogenic one too. Please check our photos of the Bananas Foster. She made a firework display. She was also humble and attentive. Pachi noticed my wife's pregnant belly made it hard for her to lean over and brought out a longer skewer and made it seem like her own mistake so my wife wouldn't feel self conscious.