Mary Brown's Chicken — Restaurant in Ottawa

Went in on a rainy Sunday afternoon (around 2pm) with my husband, son and my father in law. There was already a line-up of 2-3 people when we arrived. There was only 1 order taker behind the counter and 2 people in the kitchen. As soon as I stepped up to the counter to place my order (first time in MANY years!) I deduced that they were delayed. Ceres (the order taker) was very friendly and honest, stating that due to supply chain issues, that they were low on options for pop and drinks AND had no more coleslaw. I mentioned that we were dining in, she promptly checked our vaccination receipts and ID. I ordered their two piece meal, my son had their large poutine, my husband had their Big Mary Combo and my FIL had their apple pie. We all had carbonated drinks. She gave the option of getting a gravy or mac and cheese on the side with my chicken and taters. I am very glad I got their gravy. There was quite a wait for the food with many folks standing around for 15-20 minutes for their food (mainly take-out). Apparently it was due to the fact that there were several orders for multi-piece meals AND the drive thru volume was fairly steady as well. Once we got our food about 15 minutes later, it was piping hot, with LOTS of crispy taters. Their gravy is good, not salty, as the taters and the chicken were salty enough on their own. I observed Ceres, the order taker, deftly manage both the drive thru and all of the walk in orders, including a couple of demanding customers who came in after us and wanted their orders sooner. Kudos to the crew, but it was clear that they were not only understaffed, but under-supplied. I am not sure about how experienced the kitchen staff were, but Ceres could tell me that they had been open since April 2021, and have been quite busy since. I can't wait for the Orleans location to open!! I want to try their...

I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews, so I want to share my voice, since people never seem to take the time to leave positive ones and this place DESERVES to have heard about my positive experience.

I bought through skip, (#13) ordered a Mary burger and tater tots for myself, and my husband ordered chicken strips and fries. We ordered a side of popcorn chicken because why not.

My burger was light, crispy on the outside, and juicy on in the inside. Came with lettuce and mayo, and was about softball sized, very nice.

Their 'breading' on the outside of their chicken is delicious, a simple blend of salt pepper and a a few other spices that are mild but pleasurable to the tongue.

The tater tots are indeed made fresh on site like the bag claims. Real potatoes covered in the same breading, which is novel and delicious.

My husband thoroughly enjoyed his meal as well, and didn't stop to talk his entire meal, and was stuffed afterwards. We were both surprised because we can usually polish off quite a bit of food. The portions were bigger than we were both expecting, and we had breakfast to look forward to, which is what I'm eating while writing this.

We spent about 55$ buying a large portion of Popcorn Chicken, 5 strip combo, and a Mary Burger combo. More than reasonable, and about how much we spend on a simple Wendy's order anyways. (Skip is pretty much adding 15$ to your order anyways, so the real price is closer to 40$)

I CANNOT wait to get my shots and head into this place for real. A real gem! Keep up the great...

I never thought coming from Newfoundland (home of Mary Browns) that I would be writing a negative experience but here I am. I was the second vehicle in the drive though 11am Feb 9th. Our daughter had a day off a school for a hockey tournament and had requested Mary Browns! Our order was $78. The main complaint was Dads 4 piece meal. I kindly asked for no drumsticks. Offered to pay extra. I can’t stand them from childhood. The lady said no problem. We drove away. 20 minutes up the road I opened the 4 piece and it was 2 legs a wing and a very small thigh???? I am a big eater and I know from working when I was younger this was not a 4 piece. I must have irritated her so she screwed ne with the meal. No rib or chicken breast. Very annoying because this is not what we’re used too in Newfoundland. We won’t be back and will rely on KFC. It’s hard these days to spend extra eating out. I called the store and the lady remembered me. Said sorry. Offered me a piece of chicken if I came back. We were back at the rink. We feel this was bull. Bad service. I’m sure this happens to others. I will Email Mary brown experience also. Do better please.

Just wanted to share an update. We never received any return emails from Mary Browns. We emailed them the same day as they asked. Great service guys!! Don’t waste the time sending the bogus response on google to look good. I’m still annoyed. All around...