Nicks Philadelphia Cheese Steaks & Gyros — Restaurant in Dewey Beach

Awful experience... Last night, my husband and I took our 2 daughters into Dewey Beach for the Family Movie night on the beach. We have 2 daughters, our oldest is Intellectually Disabled...a result of a very rare genetic disorder. We got to the beach, set up our chairs, blankets, etc when my oldest daughter says "Mom, I need to use the bathroom." I did not realize that they would eventually open the lifeguard station on Dagsworthy as a bathroom. My daughter likes to get to places early...routine and a schedule are everything for her, so when she told me she needed to use the restroom, I knew it meant heading into town to use a restroom. The first store off the beach at Dagsworthy is Nick's Philadelphia Cheese STK. My daughter and I entered a completely empty store. There was not a single paying customer in the store and this was at 7:45ish PM on Aug 12th in Dewey Beach. Everyone knows how crowded it can be in Aug in Dewey Beach. Anyways, there was not even someone at the front counter when we first walked in...so I immediately led my daughter towards the bathrooms. As we walked towards the bathroom, a man came out from the kitchen area and as we were about to enter the bathroom, he said, "the bathroom is for paying customers only." I immediately stopped walking and said, "I am so sorry...I did not bring my purse or card with me. Would you mind if my daughter just used the bathroom please?" He said, "sure, your daughter can use the bathroom." I said, "thank you very much." As we walked to the door of the bathroom...my daughter said to me, "Mom, come in with me." As an Intellectually Disabled person, my daughter knows when she needs our help...the bathroom (even at age 14) has and continues to always be one of those places. I followed her into the bathroom. Within seconds of us being in the single bathroom together (I don't even think I had a chance to lock the door yet), I heard this man screaming at the top of his lungs, "I told you your daughter could use the bathroom, not you..now get the hell out" and as he says those words, he started banging on the bathroom door loudly. At this point, I am so freaked out. My daughter looked at me and said, "Mom, let's go." I took her lead...she pulled up her pants and I opened the door. I said to this man, (who was literally barricading us into the bathroom at this point), "sir, my daughter is disabled and she asked me to help her in the bathroom." He literally said the words, "well she shouldn't be using these bathrooms then." I stood there, shocked, intimidated, scared and my only thought was...let's get the hell out of here. I walked my daughter towards the door and we left. We found a restaurant, the Starboard Claw, a few doors down. I walked in and asked the girl at the front if my daughter could use their bathroom...she said, "oh yes, of course...it is right there," pointing towards the bathrooms. We went in together, used the restroom and returned to the beach for the movie on the beach. As I sat there watching the movie, the whole interaction continued to bother me. There was a part of me who so badly wanted to walk back in his store and tell him that there was a reason his store was completely empty on a busy Aug night in Dewey and that is because he treats his customers so poorly, but I didn't. I won't stoop that low. Instead, I am using my experience to inform others with this review. If this guy does not sound like someone you would want to support, then please consider spending your money somewhere else. It/he is...

After reading reviews on the best cheesesteaks in the area, we chose Nick’s. It was okay. I’ve tried all different kinds of cheesesteaks so I can’t say I can leave 5 stars. Everyone prefers their cheesesteaks differently...but these seemed skimpy on the toppings and just dry overall. We came with a group of 12 people, most from out of state and i just wish we would’ve had better service and was disappointed that was their first experience with a cheesesteak! Some things to note...they charge for fountain refills and they even charge for a water cup. It’s pretty tacky in my opinion! Never in my life have I been charged for a water cup...also they give you a small squirt of ketchup on your plate for your fries so when I needed more I had to ask “do you charge for ketchup too?” :/ surprisingly they don’t charge for more ketchup or napkins, they just keep them out of sight so you don’t use as much. Lol. Way to save money I guess! Also the music was LOUD but staticky so it seemed pointless. Overall food was okay but probably wouldn’t recommend to others or come back. I’d try something...

Firstly, Nick’s is the only place for a cheesesteak. Bread is soft. The meat moist and excellently chopped and plenty of cheese. Today, for lunch, I had their gyro. Given the authentic feel of the place, I had high hopes. (I’m doing a head to head competition of gyros with Sunrise Diner.) the pita was soft, hot, and had the slightly greasy goodness. The portion was good. Sometimes Americans go for overboard with the amount of gyro meat they add. There was enough sauce to cover each bite. Not too much lettuce. Think there was one or two tomato slices. Wanted a few more. All and all: much like Nicks, quick, hot, and good. The workers are lovely too. Only hang up, when I asked for fries on my gyro, like traditional style, the gentleman who took the order said, “uh, we don’t really do that here.” Seems he knew what I was talking about, but didn’t offer to do it for a small upcharge. I didn’t ask, as this is a head to head with Sunrise. Let’s see tomorrow what they say when I ask for fries on...