J.J. Ratigan Brewing Company — Restaurant in Pottstown

Ratigan's is fine. I live in the same neighborhood and for the most part their presence here has been inoffensive. The drinks are good, the food/atmosphere are just okay. Sweet peppers in the side salad is a choice. Good waitresses never seem to last. Once while dining there with my roommate, a random unsolicited man approached our table to hit on us and I dismissed him, which prompted him to pull the fire alarm and then be tackled on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. That was entertaining to watch, I suppose.

For the remainder of this message, I am speaking directly to Conrad, the general manager. Some weeks ago, at four in the morning, you felt the need to initiate an altercation with my roommate, more or less behind the restaurant. She was parked on private property which we pay for and have permission to use, with perhaps 12-18 inches of her vehicle edging into the alley owing to the size of her car. She was not impeding your progress or anyone else's through the alley JJ Ratigan’s shares with the surrounding neighborhood, nor was her presence there disturbing the peace of the neighborhood. (To whomever is following along, while we're on the subject let me also mention that this is not the first time Conrad has generated needless conflict with neighbors over alley space, over which he has no authority or jurisdiction. Conrad is not the police. Conrad is not the parking authority. Conrad is merely a mediocre man managing a slightly above mediocre restaurant in an exceptionally mediocre town.) Being in middle management myself, I can say with certainty that I’m not much concerned with benign activity occurring behind my store at 4 am. But not you, Conrad. You're special.

Despite the fact that your life was in no way disrupted, you felt the need to park your vehicle in the alley at 4 am and repeatedly sound the horn, disrupting everyone else's lives. Startled, my roommate stopped in the middle of taking a shower and rushed outside to ensure that no emergency was occurring - after all, ours is generally a friendly neighborhood (which Ratigan’s is lucky to occupy) and we are always willing to help if someone is in trouble. But you weren't in trouble, Conrad.

Upon her arrival, you berated a young woman roughly ten years your junior, dripping wet in nothing but a bathrobe, for twenty minutes. It was 38 degrees at 4 am on April 27th, when this occurred. She offered to move her car immediately but that wasn't enough for you. You demanded she stand barefoot in the street, wet and semi-clothed in the cold, to listen to your tirade. You accused her of nefarious activity. You implied she was a criminal because you didn't like the way she parked her car. You insulted her intelligence. Despite literally watching her exit our home, and her state of undress, you insisted she “obviously doesn't live here.” You did all this at four in the morning, over a non-issue that did not concern you. Here's a question, Conrad, since your concern for Pottstown’s safety seems so genuine: what were you doing in the alley four hours after the restaurant closed?

If instead of a half-clothed frightened girl, it had been my pit bull and I that answered your summons, or any of my neighbors who exercise their second amendment rights, I am sure you would have been neither so confident nor so disrespectful. But because you had what you felt was the upper hand, Conrad, you chose to take the opportunity to be belligerent and abusive. No one in my household has ever initiated conflict with Ratigan’s on the many occasions vehicles associated with the restaurant actually do block the alley or otherwise inhibit passage or parking. I will be sharing this story with everyone I know and everyone I meet who mentions Ratigan's. It's a recognizable local business, and it's important for people to know what kind of man is in charge of it: a pedant and a bully, with too much time on his hands and too high an opinion of himself. To put it simply, Conrad, you're not invited to the...

Oh my gosh. The food was fabulous. Far better than I expected and Andrew was so nice. He managed most of the basement by himself. JJ's has pool tables and games plus ample seating without feeling crowded in the basement and it's not noisy. Upstairs has loads of seating plus they have many tables outside. A great find in downtown Pottstown. We'll definitely be back. The grilled chicken sandwich was amazing with bacon, avocado, lettuce and heirloom tomato. The perfect blend of flavors. And it was affordable. Big enough for sharing if looking for smaller portions. The guys loved the burgers. The lager beer was really good. A little maltier than Yuengling or Sam Adams but still worth ordering again. Menu is small which is good yet still has a lot of variety. Not 5-10 different burgers but one. Same with most items. Makes it easy to decide. French fries were good, too. Looking forward to trying the burger next time. 6-20-21 What a great place to take my husband for Father's day. Still great food and atmosphere. It was busy and they are short staffed because they can't find people to work so pack your patience, sit back and relax, and enjoy good food and beer. Salmon was amazing and the sauce is really really good - not spicy. 10-31-21 Wow, so thankful to finally find a restaurant open for dinner tonight. 3rd try is a charm. We each chose the specials tonight and they were amazing. Labra` did an amazing job attending to us with several others. Thank you. Tonight my husband had surf and turf along with the caramel cider. I had the onion soup and chicken flattened with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans with a lemon something something caper sauce. It was all really good. 1-29-22 We continue to stop in for dinner once in awhile. This is the 2nd time we brought the little grandsons. Teaching them how to behave in a restaurant. They love playing with the table shuffleboard (I think it's called that). They are vintage and such fun. The servers and staff are still amazing. We arrived shortly after 5 pm on a Saturday night and it was packed shortly after we arrived and many waited up to 45 min to get a table. It's well worth the wait however I'm glad we go early enough that we don't have to worry. Specials come out on Thursdays I believe and last until they are gone. LOVE THE SPECIALS!! I had the salmon, and mashed potatoes, and green beans again and it was perfect as I was not feeling the best and wanted warm comfort food not greasy heavy food. Loved it! One grandson loves the grilled cheese sandwich and the other loves one of the chicken tenders. I think they are so distracted by everything going on around them. But, we take home the leftovers and they eat later. And can't wait to get to the shuffleboard table. So glad we eat first and then play instead of the other way around. One family had to wait awhile for an open table because they played for a...

July 3rd, 2020. - I went out for the first time in months to see THE HOPPIN BOXCARS.

The waitresses were extremely polite very pleasant and very attentive. The greeter at the front door was very polite. Food was above average.

However, the wait staff were not wearing masks when serving food & drink. Knowing that people are actually going to eat and drink there, one would think that aside from the kitchen staff, it’s more than obvious that the wait staff should be masked. I spoke with 2 women who left the venue just after being seated because of the unmasked wait staff. They were very upset & had been looking forward to a safe, fun night out to watch The Hoppin Boxcars.

I observed another seated group leave the venue once they were greeted by their unmasked server. I also, observed 4 other potential customers decide not to enter due to the unmasked wait staff. The ages of all those who prematurely left the venue varied in age from approximately 30-65 years of age.

One would think that management would be impressing upon their clientele their unwavering commitment to safety amidst the re-opening during this pandemic. Why would management hire a band to increase business, only to chase customers away due to a poorly executed safety protocol? Even after they knew customers left because the wait staff was unmasked, they didn’t have the sense to adapt on the fly and mask up.

The Hoppin Boxcars were the best part of the night.

No matter how much they change up their band formula, they just seem to get better and better every year. Plus, they debuted a brand new, beautiful original on July 3rd. If you get the chance, you must see these guys now. Before long, you won’t get the chance to see them in a local bar, you’ll be paying an admission price to a concert venue. These guys are the real deal.

Not only chock full of original storied songs of the hobo life, The Hoppin Boxcars are musically adept to a variety of genres. Their sound is full, and very well orchestrated, not to mention just plain ol’ foot stompin’ fun.

Some may say that hobo music isn’t their style. I assure you, these guys are pure entertainment. Even first timers will have a blast and find themselves...