Melange

The other day a friend of mine was telling me about a place called Melange that had just opened where they featured All-You-Can-Eat Custom Sandwiches, Salads and Pizza for just $8. She told me that it was where CiCi’s Pizza use to be in the WalMart plaza (John Young and Sand Lake).

I have been there 3 times already, and although there are a few things about it that are outstanding, I still feel like they need a lot of help.

First you go up to the counter and pay, and now I will walk you through the “Melange Dining Experience”

Start with a Salad at the Build-Your-Own Salad Bar with fresh ingredients and several interesting sounding Dressings. This is no Sweet Tomatoes or Jason’s Deli Salad Bar, but there are definitely enough items to make a decent Salad for any palette. I personally have not enjoyed the Dressing selections that I have made, but this could very well be me making the wrong choice.

There are also three different Soups each day. I have tried two of them and neither had very much flavor, just bland.

Then continuing down the line is the Pizza Bar. I would guess there are at least 8 varieties to choose from. The Pizza is actually pretty good, and I prefer it to CiCi’s. They have a BBQ Chicken Pizza that is really delicious.

Then there is the “Gourmet Sandwich Station”. I don’t know if I would exactly call it Gourmet, but that is how it is listed on their website. LOL.

However this IS indeed my favorite part of Melange.

You order from a computer system similar to ordering your sandwich from a WAWA. One time they were down so you just had to tell the sandwich maker how you wanted it made, and another time my friend’s order came out all wrong so there are definitely some glitches that need to be worked out in their ordering system.

However when everything goes according to plan they are indeed delicious sandwiches. They have several Bread, Meat, Cheese, Sauce and Topping options so that you can really customize your sandwich according to your tastes, and the best part about it is that since it is a buffet you can get another one when you are done.

They even have an option of just getting a Half!

Be sure to save some room for Ice Cream.

OK so now that you know how it all works, I have to tell you my thoughts on the place overall. I am concerned that they are not going to make it. The price is extremely affordable, especially for what you get, however I have never seen more then one or two other tables there.

It is a fairly large space and there is no way they can afford to stay open unless something happens quickly. It is unfortunate that the location is buried so far in the back of this plaza. They also have to many employees that are just standing around. The poor busboy is so eager to clear your plate (sometimes before you are even finished) because he has nothing to else to do.

I truly hope they get the word out and get people in there because the concept and the value are fantastic, however I am sad to say that I doubt it can happen. Melange – Please prove me wrong.