Chapin's Bayside — Restaurant in Dennis

Poor poor experience. We visited on Sunday August 30, 2020. We dined at 4:30 before the dinner rush. In the middle of a pandemic, you expect certain guidelines to be met. The restaurant had set up additional outdoor seating in the rear under some tents. We asked to be seated outdoors but specifically asked not to sit under the tents. The hostess led is to pur table, directly to the rear of the building to the area under the tents. It smelled so foul out there, like sewage. The hostess said it was because of clams. But it did not smell like seafood or a fish market. It was very unappealing and we took seats inside as an alternative. We were a party of 8. We were sat separately in two parties of 4 in an area with 4 round tables within a semi-private area which was perfect. We felt comfortable. Maddy was our server and she was very pleasant. She helped us locate the online menu using the QR code and took our drink order. We had two people in our party with food allergies. One with a dairy and gluten allergy, and the other with a shellfish allergy. When we asked about the food allergies Maddy checked with the kitchen and we were advised the chicken sandwich that our friend had ordered was cooked and prepared on the same grill as fish and shellfish as well as the same oil used for fried shrimp as the French fries. He was advised he should order a pasta or salad. We have eaten here many times without issue and had previously been accommodated. I'm not sure if this is new since the restaurant came under new management and changed the name. He ordered nachos. In the middle of all of this, another family was sat at another table in our area. Back to back we were only 2 ft apart. One of our two tables moved the table over closer to the wall to maintain a greater distance according to CDC guidelines. When the last table was occupied near us, we asked for our food to be packaged to go as we were too uncomfortable to finish inside. The manager apologized for our experience but did NOTHING to correct it! They never offered to move our table or the other parties and guidelines were NOT met through the whole restaurant, more people kept coming in.. masks down.. We will not return. Lastly food sub-par, bland, lacking flavor....

I guess I should have been prepared for a so-so experience when I first drove into the parking lot. There was valet parking. The valet asked me to rolled down my window and then he proceeded to tell me where I could park my car. Granted I drive a PT Cruiser, but it's kept clean and neat. He was too busy socializing with an attractive young woman in another car and I guess he just couldn't be bothered to do his job.

We went inside and were seated immediately. There were only three other tables occupied so there was plenty of room for our party of four. We waited quite a while for our drinks to come after ordering them.

This is supposed to be a great place for food, so you can imagine my disappointment when I ordered the Cajun taco salad and got four pieces of very spicy chicken on a half a head of chopped lettuce in a tortilla bowl. There wasn't a tomato to be seen. There was a big blob of guacamole and globs of cheese stuck to the chicken. $15 for that!! My dining partners seemed okay with the food they ordered.

I also observed almost every staff member, including the manager and chef (I had a perfect view into the kitchen from my table), on their cell phones. They all kept checking them. The place was overstaffed for a Sunday night. You would have thought you'd get better service. I guess if you're too busy checking your cell phone every couple of minutes it's tough to give good service.

We watched the busboy use the sweeper to clean the floor. He looked directly at french fries that fell off a plate that came out of the kitchen. He turned and walked away without cleaning them up. So, because they weren't picked up, the wait staff ended up stepping on them several times and mashing them into the carpet.

This was supposed to be a nice birthday dinner for my boyfriend. I can tell you we will not be going back. Overpriced and underwhelming.

My hope is that the folks at Chapins use this review to tighten up their ship....

Loved the new dining room set up. Very open and modern.

Disappointed that the live music was so loud that it spilled over into the dining room (and this was a Sunday night! )....really should be more contained to the bar area.

Our food was good, but my steak was not cooked properly (not medium, more like med-well) And the potato crusted cod was misrepresented....didn't know it would be fried....but, generally good, can't say more, not exceptional.

The service was very good....we were quite happy with our server (as evidenced by our $40 tip) He was attentive but not obsessive, and very personable as a server should be.

The perplexing thing about the whole evening was a very strange up-charge on our bill. I just barely realized it! ....compared the original charge to the one that came to me after my card was run through. There was (approx) $2.70 additional charge on my bill! I was confused and asked about it on the way out. It's an extra charge for using my credit card! I have never heard of this, as in my world, the restaurant (or any going concern that accepts credit cards) absorbs the charge as "cost of doing business ".....any of us would and do. If you're going to pass on the charge fee to the customer, kindly be up front about it and let us know. Give us the chance to decide to pay with a card or with cash.

Well, the jury is still out on whether we will return to Chapins Bayside. Convenience may trump an aggravating up-charge as the restaurant is less than 3 minutes walk from our house. But time will tell.....we only wish there could be full disclosure up front, and not an assumption that we would not notice a small additional fee on our bill. Seems a little shady, especially with the busy Summer...