Sandpiper — Restaurant in Dunedin

My family of 3 was looking forward to trying out this cute spot for brunch so much so I convinced a hungry teen it would be worth the 20-30 minute wait. The staff called everyone in line accordingly. As everyone patiently waited our time had come and we were next up. The sever saw us in front of the others but called the party standing behind us to be seated. I told her that we were actually next in line and her reply strangely was well they have dogs. So I questioned why that mattered and that, well... I have hungry kids. She could only come up with that she is very busy and seemed flustered and irritable that I asked and said that she'll get us the next table up. I pressed again that we have been waiting much longer and thought she'd just tell the other folks she made a mistake and sit us instead. It was an odd encounter to say the least, mostly because she seemed annoyed that I questioned her at all. It was more important to argue with me than rectifying or being accommodating in any way. I was also surprised that the people waiting behind us just skipped ahead knowing we were next in line. It was apparent that we were ahead of them as they went in to put their name down and returned to stand behind us. If this had happened and I was called ahead of people who were clearly there first I would have told the server that they were next. If I had my dog with me would we have been seated and not skipped? Not sure, people make mistakes and I'm very understanding but the way this server handled it was in a nasty unprofessional manner. Once we were seated I asked the server if we could just put in our order since we were skipped over and already knew what we wanted. Her response was, no, sorry and that she is too busy but proceeded to take our drink order anyway. The server who sat us and the server who took our order were both rude to me. I've dined at many restaurants and this was just bizarre. We watched the server interact with the other tables and she personable enough so I guess a mom dining with 2 kids using her voice to call her out was not to her liking. In the end...it wasn't so busy, my eggs were runny and cold, the service was subpar as I had to go inside for a refill of coffee. Surprisingly enough a man behind the counter was quite nice and accommodating and gladly refilled my coffee. Other than that this was all in all not worth the money or time with my family. Should have left as soon as we were skipped. So much for giving the benefit...

I was famished after a spirited bike ride and an hour of energetic country line dance lessons at the Dunedin Senior Center. I hankered for a good breakfast. So I cranked up my TripAdvisor app to search for the best breakfast in Dunedin. Within seconds, Bingo! The Sandpiper at 833 Douglas Dunedin popped up as number one.

Off I went. The Sanpiper resides in a beautifully repurposed old cottage. My kind of place.

I decided to splurge and ordered the eggs Benedict. I expected the usual hockey puck muffin you have to cut with a steak knife; drowned with hollandaise from a can.

Not here.

The muffin was perfectly toasted. My fork knifed thru effortlessly. The eggs perched atop, dusted with a flavorful spice could not be poached better. The orange hollandaise was outstanding. Rich and creamy, it looked and tasted like a melted orange creamsicle. My only complaint was I enjoyed the muffin and eggs so much I was left with a tantalizing puddle of hollandaise and nothing to sop it up with. I was tempted to lean in and lick it up like my dog. But, the Sandpiper is too nice a place to get...

Don’t expect customer service. Being short staffed is no excuse to provide poor and rude customer service.

I’m sorry the response from the owner is not entirely true. My husband was waiting inside to order. There was no where to sit and be served outside on the porch area. I was not waiting to be served or wanting to order at your window. I was sitting there waiting for him. There were no signs about this, nor were we told when ordered that we must take it to go and the other tables outside could not be used to sit or eat. It was not roped off, or chairs upside down to deter from sitting. Your employee opened the window and said I couldn’t sit or eat here. How this information was conveyed by your employee is where my review stems from, not from being served. Your employee said what she said and closed the window. I got up and walked to the front door to inform my husband to get it to go because we aren’t allowed eat outside. We supported your business and tipped for customer service. So I’m sorry you were misinformed about my visit. I stand by my review about your...