Groovy Grover's — Restaurant in Johnson City

My mother and I were taking an afternoon drive around the city when we came upon this restaurant. We stopped to check it out and see what was offered on the menu when we met the owner, Niki, outside. She asked if we had an order, and we said no, that we were just looking. We looked for a minute and decided to try something despite being low on funds. After placing our order, Niki of course told us our total, and we handed her the money. During the transaction, Niki asked if we would like to leave a tip for the kitchen, to which we said no. As two self-employed housekeepers, we did not have more to give, and also because it is not customary to tip those working at a drive-through. Considering that we were now made uncomfortable by being forced to decline this request, we then expressed our feelings to her by saying that that was a very hard core question. Niki got defensive by saying that it was hard having a small business, which we surely understand being self-employed housekeepers, but we still did not have more money to give for a tip. She told us to loop back around for our food, and once we returned back to the window, she handed the smoothie that I had ordered, which was bland and warm. I am unsure if this is how her smoothies usually are or if it was made this way to show dislike, but I will never know. She then pushed the rest of our food towards us and went on to say that what we said was rude. We then asked her how, and she again said that it was hard having a small business and asked if we saw the hardships going on around us. We began trying to tell her that even having barley any money, we still chose to eat there, and by us choosing to spend what we had there was in fact supporting her business. Niki then hushed us and insinuated that we were not good enough by saying that we were not their type of people. All that did was leave me wondering what type of people she believes are NOT their type of people. Is it based on the color of our skin? Is it based on our income level? Is it based on our willingness to speak up for ourselves? Or was that based on being paying customers? I can’t tell you. As small business owners ourselves, we have learned that humility and kindness go a long way, and we hope that she does not treat another paying customer like this in the future. While having a small business is in fact hard, I hope she can get past this mindset and recognize that she is blessed for having the opportunity to even have a business, while there are many out there who are given fewer...

Groovy Grover’s is my favorite place in Johnson City to pick up healthy and delicious food. The choices are extensive, people are friendly and helpful, and everything tastes fresh. You get a lot of quality food for your money here, and their cute little-drive through is sweet.

Our favorite meals to get here are their bowls. Seriously, their Crispy Tofu is the best I’ve ever had, and the Mushroom Steak is to die for; my husband loves the Greek Chicken. Love that we can customize our bowls, and they prepare them quickly. The infused waters are great too. On our first visit, we weren’t familiar with the menu or choices or sauces, so we had a lot of questions; the person working there was extremely patient and explained everything really well, so we had no confusion about what to order. On one of our visits, they accidentally forgot something in our order, so we had to go back, but they were very apologetic and gave us something extra for our trouble, so all was well. Great customer service and fantastic food; everything is top-notch at...

I don’t know that I can accurately rate Groovy Grover’s because they are so much MORE than the 5 stars that are available! The food quality and taste is phenomenal ! There is nothing in the area that is even close to what Niki Giles and her staff have created! The food is fresh, healthy, flavorful…and plentiful. The service, wow! Their customer service is untouchable! A gentleman by the name of Jarelle just lights up the building! He genuinely wants you to have a great experience! Due to my uncertainty in what to order, he read the menu to me and described items for me. The overall atmosphere of Groovy Grover’s is unmatched. Although they are a drive-thru service only, that will not detour you. Everything is made fresh when your order. Your food is not sitting under a heat lamp, hanging out in a fryer or being pulled from a bag of frozen food! I would put Niki, the staff, the food and the overall atmosphere up against anyone in the tri-cities area and Groovy Grover’s will consistently come out a winner! Try them...