Guest User
July 8, 2024
"A good problem to have" is a phrase that gets used when a business has more clientele than it can properly service. My friends and I have been coming to Wildwood since 2020, every July, just for one night's dining after a long, hot day on the Cumberland River. And it's always been wonderful. Last night was the first time we ever had to wait for a table, without making a reservation. We were initially prepared to wait up to 40 minutes, but as time grew closer to an hour and we became hungrier, we looked around the deck and realized there were enough empty tables for all to be seated, When I inquired, I was told they didn't have the staff to serve all the tables. Because there's nothing else in the area, we gave up on the kitchen and opted to try the food truck that was serving the newly expanded deck where there was live music and plenty of available seating. I appreciate the dining cost was overall lower as a result (checks came to about $25 per person, with beverage & tip, instead of what would have been closer to $50) but we missed out of the experience we were expecting, and had been telling our friends all about, as they'd never been to Wildwood. We experienced a couple of other service hiccups, nothing huge, but enough that the potential for new repeat clients was lost. I also appreciate that Wildwood is trying to bring something special to an area where there's nothing else like it, but if Tennesseans don't get over themselves enough to allow for middle and working class housing, they won't have a labor pool to keep businesses like this going.