The Dough Roller — Restaurant in Ocean City

Ah, The Dough Roller, Ocean City's culinary enigma, where the ambiance of "quaint" meets the reality of "did they clean this table, or did a pizza just melt here?" Awarding it two stars is generous, akin to giving a participation trophy at the Olympics—because, let's face it, showing up is half the battle.

Entering The Dough Roller, you're immediately struck by its unique charm, which is a polite way of saying you're trying to figure out if the décor is retro or if time just forgot about this place. The floors have a certain stickiness that could only be achieved through years of dedication to not mopping. It's an adhesive museum of meals past, each step a testament to the thousands who've dined and dashed—not from the bill, but from the ambiance.

Then there's the pizza, a dish that dares to ask, "How much grease is too much?" It's as if the kitchen staff believes that oil is just another topping, generously applied to ensure your daily caloric intake is met in one meal. Eating their pizza is a workout for your jaw and a test of your digestive system's fortitude. It's not just food; it's an adventure where each slice brings you closer to understanding what liquid dough might taste like.

But let's not be too hard on them. After all, The Dough Roller is consistent—consistently greasy, yes, but also consistently there, like that one friend who never got their life together but is always available to hang out. There's a certain comfort in knowing exactly what you're going to get: a meal that leaves you with a sense of deep, oily satisfaction and possibly a few new stains on your favorite shirt.

The service, much like the décor, varies between "delightfully vintage" and "possibly forgotten about." It adds to the charm of the place, giving you plenty of time to ponder life's great mysteries, like why you keep coming back here or whether the table's stickiness might actually be considered a local attraction.

In conclusion, The Dough Roller is an experience—a greasy, unforgettable dive into the heart of Ocean City's culinary scene. It might not be the best meal you've ever had, but it's certainly one you'll remember, if not for the food, then for the heroic effort your stomach made in digesting it. Two stars for The Dough Roller, because sometimes, just sometimes, greasy pizza and questionable cleanliness are exactly what you need to remind yourself that life could always be a little...

About 6pm, after a lovely day at the beach on 7/23/2023, a teenager in our family wanted to eat at Dough Roller, 3rd and Boardwalk, Ocean City, MD. We walked as a family about 2 miles along the boardwalk to get there. Upon arriving, I advised a female hostess 7 persons were in our party, one of which was a young child. We were seated in a partitioned area with 6 chairs separated from a second table by the partition. A chair was added at the end of the table at which we were being seated in a narrow isle across from a party in a booth. There were ample tables and chairs that could have better accommodated our party and the establishment was not even half full with customers. Given the cramped seating while attempting to sit at the table and the stature in size of persons in our party (over 6 feet tall and 250 - 300lbs), a member of our party went to ask our hostess if we could sit at both tables separated only by the wooden partition between us. The other table was empty. We were informed it would be okay. After I went to the restroom to wash my hands, I returned to be informed that a woman with another employee had both rudely demanded to know why we could not just sit at the one table. Given the tone of the demand, my family was shocked. I walked over to a male employee observing what was taking place and asked to speak to a manager. He asked me to wait for a minute and summoned a woman who was taking an order from the people at the booth across from us. After several minutes of writing down their order, the gentleman summoned her over to me at which point he left our presence. Upon explaining the situation, she merely looked at me without comment. At this point, my family members in dismay decided they no longer wished to dine there. Seated customers were onlookers to what was taking place. My family and I gathered our belongings and departed. As we left I politely told the person who was said to be the manager that the rudeness and unprofessional customer service such as we had just encountered was "bad for business." Needless to say, Dough Roller at this location will never again earn...

I have to emphasize that this is out of character for me to leave a review like this. However, I cannot leave this unspoken. I took myself to the boardwalk on the evening of 9/4, and simply wanted a small fry, and a drink. I approached the counter and politely, calmly stated “Hi, can I have a small fry and a Starry?” The two teenage girls at the counter proceeded to grab each other and CACKLING laughing mocked what I said to each other. Right in front of me. I was very put off as I didn’t feel anything was that funny about what I said or how I present… Whatever. I was directed to the pickup counter where many other people were picking up as well. I watched as everyone else’s name got called calmly, until my name, which another teenage girl SCREAMED my name. I was startled and then two of them, again, turned to each other, pointed at me, and said “omg she jumped!” and laughed.

Look, I was bullied my entire youth. That feeling of being bullied never leaves you. I am not sure what compelled these young girls to make fun of me, so specifically last night. I actually walked back to my car in tears. I am in my 20s, I was just wearing a hoodie, I was just like everyone else. Why was I outed this way? Why was I bullied like this?

There is NO excuse to treat unassuming customers like this. If I wasn’t so upset I would’ve found a manager that night. I did post this story to my social medias and have already amassed thousands of views. I was encouraged to share my story here.

I hope the management staff sees this review and encourages their workers not to behave like this. It absolutely ruined my night. It has put a damper on my whole trip. I am now wondering every single time I look in the mirror what it is about me that caused me to be bullied like this when all I wanted was a snack.

Dough Roller will never receive my business again, and while I know it won’t hurt them, and I don’t want it to, I hope other people by themselves wanting a simple snack can heed this warning. Do better. Bullying, making fun of people, and ruining vacations...