Chaps Pit Beef Aberdeen — Restaurant in Aberdeen

We always enjoy Chaps' pit beef and pit turkey a couple times a year, generally for holidays -- including the 4th of July. As usual for the 4th, we ordered several pounds of pit turkey and a pound of pit beef, along with some Old Bay wings.

When I placed the order -- Juan (hopefully spelled correctly) took the order and reviewed it along with the total price -- asked if I needed rolls, etc. - very friendly and helpful. He said, "Don't worry -- I got you, Boss -- I'll be here when you pick up your order."

Sure enough, Juan was there, and the food was prepared fresh - not a long wait. Also, Juan and another team member asked if we wanted condiments - what type of sauces, etc. -- they saved us the time in getting those and gave us plenty of the requested condiments and sauces for the wings, napkins. Excellent customer service!

The food smelled great, and I brought a cooler to keep it warm for the 35-minute ride home. The food was delicious !!! The wings were not over-seasoned -- but just right. The pit turkey was sliced thin and had a wonderful smoked flavor to it. The pit beef was prepared perfectly -- and those who ate the beef were very happy. I can say this, the pit turkey was so good, I did not use any sauces -- ate it just as it was. We ordered plenty for the next day or so -- and the food was as good then as it was when I picked it up.

We were very pleased (again) with the entire Chaps experience. We will be back for sure -- Thank you, Juan and...

Where do I start? Let’s go with the bad first.

The last two times I’ve gone to Chaps in Aberdeen, they have messed up my family’s food. Tonight we ordered pick up and my wife’s burger was still raw when she bit into it. When she went to Chaps to wait for our pick up order, the employees (manager) included were busy flirting and joking with each other to do their jobs correctly. For example, one cook was throwing things on the floor while a girl, who was sweeping, had to clean it up. I’m a chef myself and I’ve worked in kitchens most of my life. There’s nothing wrong with joking as long as you do your job correctly. Raw beef can absolutely make someone sick and food safety is not a joke!

When my wife brought her burger back up to the restaurant, the night manager was rude. He didn’t ask what was wrong with the order and only asked how she paid. He didn’t check the burger and just tossed it into the trash without unwrapping it. He refunded for the burger but was extremely unprofessional in how he handled a messed up order. He was wearing his hat sideways. His name was Juan. He couldn’t even clarify when the refund would show up in our bank.

I order reuben sandwiches from Chaps all the time and they are always amazing. I recommended we order dinner from them tonight so now I look like an idiot. I’ve never ordered during the night shift and I never will again. Tighten up because it’s...

Hadn't been to Chaps in a while. What a huge disappointment. For a signature staple restaurant in Maryland, Chap's ought be extremely ashamed of itself. Absolutely embarrassing.

We got several "small" sides. Small is in quotations because it's a term used extremely loosely. Apparently, a "small" to Chap's is literally a tiny sample cup. I'm not joking when I say that It's a shot glass sized side. The Cole Slaw and Macaroni and cheese were legitimately only two spoonfuls each.

Chap's used to serve sandwiches that were piled high with meats. Not anymore. When we got home to enjoy our (now pitiful in hindsight) meal, let's just say that Arby's serves sandwiches that are piled higher.

In addition, the quality of the food has really gone downhill. The pit beef was mediocre and the cole slaw was dry and had no flavor. That's no exaggeration. The cole slaw literally tasted like nothing. No taste. Nada.

What does it say about Chap's when a notoriously bad/mediocre fast food restaurant does everything better?

At the prices I paid, I really feel like I was ripped off.

We won't be going back. For a restaurant that prides itself in being a real, true, original Maryland staple, they don't deserve that title anymore when fast food restaurants like Arby's have bigger servings and higher quality (and for a MUCH lower...