The Sandpiper was one of the most popular restaurants in town from the 1950s through the 1970s. Located on 33rd Street and Coastal Highway in a building with a big white chicken on the roof, it featured seafood and some of the best fried chicken ever served in Ocean City.
Robe and Mary Belle Holland opened the Sandpiper in 1953 in a building that had once housed a nite club known as the Swan Club. With the growth of the area that became known as “Motel Row” in the next decade, the Sandpiper became a favorite destination.
The business was sold to the Davis family in 1965 and they continued the restaurant’s reputation for good food and friendly service. In the 1970s, they opened the popular Sand Bar there as well as an after-hours club known as the Penthouse.
The Sandpiper ceased operation in 1979 and the building became the home of several different restaurants in subsequent years. Today it is the site of Guido’s Burritos.
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Photo courtesy of Susan Cropper