Gina's By The Sea, Cape Cod Institution, Won't Reopen

DENNIS, MA — Cape Cod has lost a seasonal culinary landmark.

Gina's by the Sea, the Dennis Italian restaurant that has opened seasonally for the past 44 years, won't be opening its doors this spring.

The operators of the business announced the news on social media, saying the decision comes "with heavy hearts and a jumble of emotions."

Choosing to close the restaurant wasn't a quick decision, as the operators shared that the idea first came up before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the years since, Gina's has seen their chef and owner leave too.

With those two factors, operators said, "the end has announced itself."

Without those key elements, and with changes in the environment around the restaurant, keeping the original vision for the business became too difficult.

"We understand that many of you will want to know why and the reason is simple. The volume has become too much for us to keep up with and we simply are not going to change how and what we have been doing over the last four and a half decades," officials said.

What happens next with the space is still up in the air. Could Gina's reopen under new ownership? A new restaurant experience? A bed and breakfast? All are on the table, but nothing is certain.

One thing is though, and Gina's management wanted to share that bit in one last message to friends and customers.

"For the last 44 years so many, many of you out there have offered words of encouragement, demonstrated acts of kindness and graced us with your patience that we say from our hearts THANK YOU! You have broadened and enriched our lives and you are the reason we came back year after year, and for that we are so deeply appreciative."