The Chowder House Restaurant — Restaurant in Zephyrhills

My family and I were so excited to have what we hoped might be our "new place". We travel for work, and are also in the food industry. With customer service being so much a part of the way we evaluate our experience I'll be honest and say we are difficult to impress but certainly not impossible to please. My family and i waited at the door to be greeted and seated what seemed to be a wait of almost 10 minutes while we observed many empty tables as well as some full tables. There were no other waiting patrons. We came in around the 3 o'clock hour. Eventually the man who greeted us returned and seated us several moments later. We sat, we planned our drinks, we thoroughly explained menu choices to our 9 year old, we made our menu selections and finally we waited. We waited more. Eventually a server while walking by said I'll be with you shortly for your drinks and walked away. We continued to wait, after some minutes had passed we decided disappointingly that for some reason that remains unbeknownst to us that perhaps we weren't welcomed there or perhaps our patronage and opinions were not in any way a priority.

After some thought i decided leaving may have been hasty and that perhaps if I called and explained my disappointment and that we all were left feeling like maybe we should go else where for service an explanation or apology would be offered or any indication that they would like us to return and recover this poor experience. Sadly that wasn't The case. The gentleman I spoke with informed me that he was not even an employee, this was the same man who had seated my family. After i explained my impression and unlikilyhood that we would return the man was defensive and argumentative and made sure that I was informed they had many wonderful reviews. At which point it was clear my and my family's first impressions were correct. I informed the gentleman I was glad they had good reviews to stand against mine by contrast. I'm also delighted others were treated better than my family, no customer should be left with this impression of...

Don't waste your money. We went tonight for dinner because we've heard such good things about this restaurant. However, there isn't much of a selection for sides and the food is extremely bland. A great deal of the meals come with French fries and there are no substitutions. Because of this, we wanted to order a baked potato as an extra side, and our server told us that they were out of baked potatoes despite the fact that the three tables that came in after us and were served after us, were served baked potatoes. The grilled chicken on my husband's salad was extremely over cooked to the point that it had the consistency of rubber. My food simply lacked seasoning and was extremely bland. The only thing we enjoyed was the clam chowder and the fried green tomatoes. Save your money because it certainly wasn't worth the $61 that we spent tonight.

P.S. It's so funny that they mention in their response to me that I need to "read" the menu properly. First of all, if you would "read" my entire review, you would have read that my husband and I wanted to PURCHASE a baked potato as an extra side because I ordered a meal with no substitutions. When we asked to PURCHASE a baked potato as an extra side, our server stated that the restaurant was out of potatoes. Yet three tables that came in after us were able to get a baked potato. So therefore, I acknowledged in my ORIGINAL comment that I ordered something that didn't allow substitutions. Your menu states that extra sides can be purchased at $1 more than the menu price. Therefore, instead of a baked potato being $2.99, it would be $3.99 if purchasing separately. Maybe you should READ before making such an asinine comment or better yet, maybe you should change the context of your menu if you don't want to allow customers to purchase extra sides. Either way, we won't be back because your attitude is deplorable. You're just upset that I said your food sucks and it is the truth. It had no flavor and it all was so overcooked that it had the...

I don't usually frequent businesses with bright LED lights surrounding their windows. It is tacky and something you would find at a middle eastern owned gas station or motel. I entered the restaurant with low expectations. Upon entering the restaurant, there was a stench in the air. It smelled like a nursing home. I ordered the lobster bisque and it was better than that at the other seafood restaurant in Zephyrhills. My server, Matt, did a good job welcoming me and recommending a few of the menu items. He was familiar with the menu which was nice. I ordered the oyster sandwich. Matt came back and informed me that there were no more oysters and they were waiting for a truck to deliver more. I ordered the clam and scallop basket instead. I asked if I could substitute another side instead of french fries. I was told no. I stated I would be willing to pay extra for the substitute. I was told no. The clams were good, the scallops were chewy and had a weird consistancy. I did not eat the fries or macaronni salad. The other patrons in the restaurant were octogenarians and seemed to be enjoying their meals very much. The food overall was very average. The prices were acceptable. The service was great. If this restaurant was in Wesley Chapel, I would give it 2 stars. I can understand that if your customer base is tough, you have to be consistant with the rules (no substitutions)-- but I also feel allowing a customer to make a substitution for a $5.00 charge would be reasonable. The fries and macaroni salad that came with my meal ended up in the garbage. Service= 5 stars, Food= 2 stars,...