Scargo Cafe in Dennis, MA | American

Scargo Cafe
Come see why we’re the number one rated Dennis Restaurant on TripAdvisor.com

How it all began...
The Scargo Cafe originally opened in Late February of 1987 by two brothers, David and Peter Troutman. Starting slowly, the two founding partners worked side by side as dishwashers, cooks, waiters and janitors during the early years. Since that time the restaurant has thrived and built a reputation for friendly service and great food.
Scargo cafe has grown today to employ over 50 year round employees and another 20 during peak season. It may be helpful to know something about Peter and David Troutman, and how they got started in the business of Hospitality and Foodservice.
Peter and David have worked together almost all of their professional lives. They started their careers in the restaurant industry during their teens right here on Cape Cod. David’s first job was at McDonald’s – that’s right, the familiar fast food burger joint – where he learned the basics of running a highly profitable and fast-paced foodservice operation firsthand. Enthusiasm and determination after four months of work, had him supervising staff members three times his age as he became a shift manager at the tender age of 15.
Peter began his foodservice career that same year at the age of 16. He worked at a popular hotel and restaurant in downtown Hyannis. He became familiar with the hotel business subsequently working as a busperson, server, cook, housekeeper and desk clerk.
Peter and David have worked together almost all of their professional lives. They started their careers in the restaurant industry during their teens right here on Cape Cod. David’s first job was at McDonald’s – that’s right, the familiar fast food burger joint – where he learned the basics of running a highly profitable and fast-paced foodservice operation firsthand. Enthusiasm and determination after four months of work, had him supervising staff members three times his age as he became a shift manager at the tender age of 15. Peter began his foodservice career that same year at the age of 16. He worked at a popular hotel and restaurant in downtown Hyannis. He became familiar with the hotel business subsequently working as a busperson, server, cook, housekeeper and desk clerk.
Peter and David went on to start the Scargo Cafe in February of 1987 with the assistance of their wives, modest savings, good friends and a very high risk mortgage from their father and his wife. They set out to create a pleasant work environment where they could make a decent living. Their desire was to create a place to work that was fun as well as profitable. Restaurateurs have a reputation for being unusually passionate and high strung – they had each experienced enough turmoil and hostility in the workplace to know exactly the kind of restaurant they didn’t want to create as well as the type that they did. They continually strive to create and maintain that atmosphere at the Scargo Cafe. The restaurant has seen steady growth over the years and they derive deep satisfaction as well as a living from this popular growing year round Cape restaurant.
The Scargo Cafe has developed an innovative reputation.
It has pioneered and prospered during the early marketing use of two for one dining coupons in the Cape Cod area. It was the first Cape Cod table service restaurant to become smoke-free in 1995 and in subsequent years was the only major year round restaurant with a smoke-free bar and lounge. It has been a leader in introducing new and eclectic cuisine to the general dining public by offering a broad mix of innovative menu items. From Cajun to Asian, New England to Italian, the Scargo mix tends to be bold and unique.
The Scargo Cafe is a member of the Dennis Chamber of Commerce, The Massachusetts Restaurant Association, and The National Restaurant Association. They remain dedicated to their local community by donating in excess of $10,000 dollars in cash and gifts annually to groups and organizations that directly benefit the Children of the Dennis / Yarmouth Area.
Reservations
For many years we did not accept reservations at all, but recently we have begun accepting a very limited number of advance reservations. Only about 10% of our seating is set aside on a reservation basis so be sure to plan ahead if you would like to reserve a table for lunch or dinner. During the peak summer months it is advisable to call a day or two in advance since most reservations slots are filled 24-48 hours ahead of time. Sorry… due to time constraints we do not accept reservations by email.
We also have well expanded Catering menu
Hours
Lunch 11am to 3pm
Dinner 4.30pm to 10pm (11pm during the summer)
Let us know what you think!
We’d love to hear your thoughts about our restaurant, our web site, or anything else that comes to mind.
Have you been here to Scargo and had a great time?... we always love to hear about it. We also realize that no matter how good we are there is always room for improvement. We haven’t been in business since 1987 by ignoring our guests and we don’t intend to start now.
We’re truly happy to address any issues or answer questions you may have. It’s a gift to hear from you and we welcome any input, comments or suggestions you may have.