Fans of the perennially award-winning Chomp Kitchen and Drinks will be happy to learn that, after a long slog of legal holdups halted progress, the restaurant has resumed the move to its much bigger location at 279 Water St., and plans to open either at the end of August or beginning of September.

“We’ve been through every state agency you can think of,” said owner Sam Glynn of the process getting to this point. “CRMC [Coastal Resources Management Commission] and DEM [Department of Environmental Management] and zoning and the historic district commission, planning — anybody that I could talk to about this project, I did.”

And if all the required permitting and regulatory hoops to jump through weren’t enough, Glynn hit another snag when an abutting business owner took Chomp to court over the proposed location of a dumpster — an attempt to overturn the zoning board’s ruling of approval of Chomp’s proposal to move from its current Child Street location to Water Street.

“We settled out of court, and we have an amicable relationship now,” Glynn said of the prolonged dispute. “But we’re still standing and we have a great project ahead of us.”

The reward for the perseverance? A tripling of their existing space, from around 1,000 square feet to 3,000, with seating for what Glynn estimated to be around 70. But the marquee attraction for the new Chomp will be all about the view — accessible from either the inside or from the expansive outdoor patio.

“The inside is wide open with a beer hall vibe, and there’s some really beautiful windows that open out to the deck,” Glynn said. “There will be beautiful water views from wherever you sit.”

Staffing and supply shortages, as usual
As with most industries right now, the restaurant industry continues to be hampered by supply chain issues, rising inflation, and a dearth of available people able to or willing to work the back of house jobs that keep food churning out and the lights on.

“We’re always looking for staffing. Just like everybody else, every day presents a new set of challenges,” Glynn said, adding that even offering generous pay ($16-18 an hour for line cooks with full benefits including dental, vision and paid time off) hasn’t been enough to fill available positions in a timely manner.

Glynn said making the job more comfortable might help fill the slots, so he is air conditioning the kitchen and contracting out to a cleaning service so kitchen staff don’t have to clean at the end of a shift.

“It’s hard work,” he said. “We’re trying to get creative.”

As far as hardware still needed — windows and other building supplies to apply finishing touches — supply chain issues have reared their head once again.

“We’re at the mercy of manufacturers, which is unnerving but there’s nothing anybody can do about it,” Glynn said.

As for what happens to the original Chomp on Child Street, Glynn said that is still to be decided. He mentioned the possibility of leasing the building, but since the move is not yet finalized, any final decisions are still to be determined.

But as for what’s certain, Glynn knows that the new Chomp will be a destination people find familiar, exciting, and delicious.

“It’s the same menu, the same people, much bigger on the inside,” he said. “It’s waterfront burgers and beer, what’s better than that?”