Mary Brown's Chicken — Restaurant in Surrey

We entered the restaurant concerned they would only have take out (home is far away) and were happy to hear we could eat in. (COVID crazy averted)

My wife and I were looking at the menu and must have had the “confused first timer” look, because the cashier jumped right into the details and pointed out the special which was the best deal they currently had. She was polite, knowledgeable and enthusiastic which was fabulous.

We dove into that special and added gravy and drinks.

She asked us to have a seat.

Took no time at all before the food was ready.

Now, I love chicken. Fried chicken more specifically. I’ve eaten at all the chains from KFC to Popeyes but I’d never heard of Mary Brown.

When it was set down it was hot. Freshly cooked and juicy. Perfectly cooked. And sooooo juicy (I know I said this before, but fried chicken goes from raw to rawhide in 10 seconds of cooking. And they got it perfect. The fries were excellent too and went with the gravy— which was thick and rich— perfectly. Their fresh coleslaw is really tasty too.

I must mention the seasonings. Yep. Done well. Chicken didn’t really need gravy as it tasted so good on its own and was so juicy (won’t say it again).

I really appreciated the attention the staff placed on the food and front counter service. I actually called out the manager/owner to let him know my thoughts.

He asked if I would write this review. I made him promise to have the perfect chicken next time I came and I would. So, I’ll be going back soon to test his word. :)

Thanks to all for an awesome meal!

Note: sorry that I didn’t take any photos. I was too busy eating and cleaning my hands from the tender and juicy chicken (ok, really the last time) to worry...

I had been going to this restaurant for take out for many months and now the economy must be getting worse because the owner of this establishment refused to place my pickles in a container on the side of my Mary browns famous chicken burger instead of on top making my burger soggy. Mr Ali not only refused to fix the problem but to add insult to injury the customer who ordered after me who was a family member of Mr Ali requested mayo on the side and Mr Ali was sure to remind the back staff that this was a family member’s daughter and be sure to not make a error.

On the evening of March 29 after my disappointing experience Mr Ali called me at 930 pm to yell at me and take the position that he made a corporate decision to not allow pickles on the side of orders.

Don’t even bother contacting head office of Mary Browns because my complaint has fallen on to deaf ears.

According to another review on Yelp made by Ivee J, Mr. Ali seems to yell at customers who make requests.

Bottom line if you are related to this Mr. Ali you can get mayo or anything for that matter on the side.

If you are not related to this owner, there are many other Mary browns in the area I am sure they won’t mind putting the pickles on the side or any other reasonable request.

During Covid we are supposed to be supporting the hospitality industry but I refuse to support a owner who is rude, arrogant and unreasonable.

Do not eat here. Tell everyone not to eat here. Go to SCOTT road Mary’s or Fraser Highway Mary’s I will drive to Chillwack where the original west coast Mary’s opened years ago.

Kind...

Staff is always super friendly but I have observed too many instances in which the manager/owner's behaviour is borderline verbally abusive towards the staff. Placing an order is so anxiety inducing when he is watching the employee. Quite upsetting since this is one of the only halal fried chicken options in Surrey.

Edit: Upon reading other reviews I have discovered that this really is a common occurrence and not just something I have observed. Not only does he have a temper with his staff but he seems to approach customers in an aggressive manner as well. 1 or 2 years ago I overheard him arguing with a group of teens who were trying to order online but he shut the system down while they were ordering, causing major agitation. Many insults were exchanged. After the teens left, he started discussing the situation with an employee and said that he does not want to "hand out free food". It was a literal promotion: order online and get a free sandwich... what?????? From other reviews it seems that his behaviour never changed.

Food is great as it is at every other Mary Brown's location but the owner, Al, needs to learn basic hospitality. Although personally I have never been directly targeted by Al, I will no longer be ordering from this location as I do not wish to support an owner who acts like this towards both staff and customers. Absolutely ridiculous behaviour from someone with a responsibility over...