Cootie Brown's N. Roan — Attraction in Johnson City

By far the worst dining experience I've had this year. The server was nice, and none of this was his fault. That's the only good thing I have to say. Our visit was yesterday, Sept. 4. around 1pm.

My parents came in town for a visit, and we chose Cootie Brown's because we've had excellent experiences with them in the past, and their food is phenomenal. My mom asked for an outdoor seat on the outer edge so it would be better ventilated, as we are all very COVID-conscious. The host acted as though this was a very difficult request even though there were clearly a bunch of vacant tables.

No one came to take our order for 15 minutes or so. We ordered a sandwich and a pizza for the three of us. After another 45 minutes of waiting, we asked for an estimate of when the food would be ready. We already had dinner reservations at 7:30 and didn't want to be eating too close to dinner.

The server informed us that a large quantity of Doordash orders had come in and taken priority over our order. He was unable even to provide an estimate on the additional wait time. He suggested that they were just waiting on the pizza but was unsure if any progress was being made on the pizza. We asked again 15 minutes later, and he said he would check again. After another 10 minutes, we decided to leave. Suddenly, the server arrived with all the food.

The pizza was barely above room temperature, definitely under 110 degrees, which is bizarre considering we were apparently waiting for an hour for it to come out of the oven. For reference, the minimum holding temperature for hot items is 135 degrees. The flavor would have been good if the pizza were hot like my mother's sandwich, but it was frankly terrible. I would value it at lower quality than Little Caesars. Certainly not worth $23.

We immediately complained to the server, who said he would contact the manager. The manager did not come to visit our table and apologize in person, nor did he/she even offer to comp our meal after all we had to deal with. We received a 25% discount (on a worthless $23 pizza, mind you) and 1 (not 3, but 1) card for a free dessert on our next visit. I consider this response an utter failure on the part of the manager and a clear lack of respect for dine-in guests.

I do not wish to seem unsympathetic toward restaurants during these trying times, but there was a great deal that Cootie Brown's could have done to avoid all of this. Doordash tablets come with built-in options to adjust wait times or even shut off third-party ordering during super-busy rush times. If Cootie Brown's is blaming Doordash for their poor treatment of us, it is only because they are perfectly willing to screw over loyal dine-in guests in the hope of fulfilling more third-party tickets. Third-party customers should never take absolute priority over the loyal people who choose to visit a particular restaurant on a special holiday with their family from out of town.

We visited Portobellos and Southern Craft this weekend as well and had fantastic service and hot, palatable food in both locations. I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere if your dining experience...

Keeping in mind, that it is all about perspective, ours was amazing!

We were looking for more places to try out while in Johnson City, TN, and we happened upon Cootie Brown's on North Roan St.

We had ordered delivery from them before, and aside from always having a genuinely warm experience throughout the entire process, we were delighted to find that the service, and quality are details well tended to at this colorful eatery.

From our host being warm and welcoming, to our server who was the sweetest soul, to the bus-lady who was always smiling, to the cooks in the kitchen, meticulously precise, and swift in their craft, while offering their light and cheerful dispositions.

And the food was more than worth the visit!

Especially during these weird beer-bug times, Cootie Brown's offers quirky, delicious fare, and a warm establishment to bring some colorful memories amidst the grey.

If you find yourself in Johnson City, make some time to sit with the cheery folks at Cootie Brown's.

We had: From their Menu: Jamaican Beef Pocket classic jamaican street food, topped with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheddar, chives, a black olive and a side of jerk sauce, *one per order cut in half.

3 Tamales Traditional beef, verde chicken, and fiesta pork.

Taco Rito taco beef, chicken, or black beans wrapped in a large flour tortilla, covered in mole' sauce and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, black olives, chives, and salsa verde. *add a protein - $1

Plus! Peaches and Cream pie =)

We Will certainly be...

My wife and I came to Johnson City for a weekend away and we didn't know where to eat. We were told to go check out Pals so we did but they were wrapped around the building, so we drove around and came upon Cootie Brown's. We stopped in and were greeted by some of the friendlest people ever.

We checked out the menu and it was a hodgepodge of everything. Nachos, burgers, pizza, BBQ, chicken, vegetarian, this place literally has something for everyone.

My wife ordered the sandwich and it was amazing. I can't remember the name of it, but it was kinda like a Philly cheese steak, but with out the peppers and onions. The chips were homemade and delicious.

I got the full rack of ribs because I'm an idiot and I didn't realize how big it was. The meat was falling off the bone. It was so delicious. I got the roasted sweet potatoes and BBQ baked beans for my sides. The sweet potatoes were awesome. I think they're was a little too much BBQ sauce in the baked beans, but they were still good.

We got some deserts as well. The key lime pie and raspberry pie were so great. I'm not a big fan of raspberries, but it was my favorite of the two.

I think I've had better BBQ, but I certainly cannot remember when. We will be coming back when we pass through Johnson City again.

Also our server, Mason, was fantastic. She was super attentive and took very good care of us.

All in all, this is the place to eat in Johnson City...