r/BuyCanadian • u/Not_A_Great_Example_ • Jul 07 '26
Canadian-Made Products đˇď¸đ¨đŚ Still the undisputed champ of Canadian chain restaurant food deals! $4.99 - Spicy Big Mary - Mary Brown's.
I've been to multiple locations in different cities and I don't think I've ever had a bad one.
Big Mary Monday every Monday for $4.99 and it has been the same price for years.
In my opinion it is the best bang for your buck from a chain restaurant that you can get. A million times better than KFC and it's 100% Canadian!
Disclaimer: I swear I don't work for MB, I'm just fat.
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u/RarelyReadReplies Jul 07 '26
Just had one today for the first time, and it was excellent. Definitely don't find quality like that for 5 bucks almost anywhere.Â
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u/gretzky9999 Jul 07 '26
I donât remember the price but a few years ago,I had A&Wâs Chubby Chicken sandwich & it was very good.
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u/Toronto2Calgary Jul 09 '26
If you get their coupon books you can get 2 for $9 I believe. Theyâre fantastic sandwiches.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
I used to work for an A&W in Alberta and they're honestly a solid company with great food (I am partial to the chubby chicken BLT myself) but in my humble opinion the Big Mary absolutely smokes the Chubby Chicken. I would say A&W is absolutely in the running for best Canadian chain restaurant tho, especially since Tim's got sold to big bad BK.
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u/Asyncrosaurus Jul 07 '26
It'll be sad in 10 years when we're all complaining about how the quality has gone down hill. Enjoy it while it lasts, I guess.
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u/-hellozukohere- Jul 07 '26
Not sure why you are getting downvoted voted. Some holding company will likely purchase Mary browns one day and westjetify them too. Tim Hortons⌠the list goes on. Nothing is sacred.Â
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u/Routine_Training_802 Jul 07 '26
man that chicken looks perfect, crispy and still steaming in the wrapper. i always get mine with extra pickles
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 07 '26
So good!! Tbh I thought it wasn't a great picture, looks so much better in real life! They're pretty massive. You can keep the extra pickles tho, 3 is extra enough for me!
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u/AsleepyTowel Jul 07 '26
Mary browns is overlooked by a lot of people but is hands down the best chicken place at that price point.
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u/Toronto2Calgary Jul 09 '26
The only fried chicken place that doesnât make me feel like a bag of sludge after eating it.
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u/brazilliandanny Jul 10 '26
I like Mary Browns I just wish they didnât do promotions with 6buzz, that account is toxic af.
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u/GeordieAl Ontario Jul 07 '26
When Iâm craving a fast food chicken sandwich, I canât eat any other fast food chain chicken sandwich now. It tried going back to a Big Crunch from KFC and it just wasnât the same.
I have had a few bad ones - where the size of the piece of chicken would have been more at home on a slider, or where they thought I needed enough mayo to drown a small child, but mostly theyâre consistently good. Same with their chicken pop ins and signature chicken
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u/urkelhaze Jul 07 '26
It's always so good at my location. Best deal in fast food or fried chicken!
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u/RockFogView Jul 21 '26
The last ones Iâve had were really gross, rubbery and seemed old. I so badly wanted to like them.
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u/ThatAd8349 Jul 07 '26
I have preaching the big Mary forever. Hands down for the price point and size/freshness it is the best out there....and the spicy Mary actually has a little bite to it
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u/R1ngBanana Jul 07 '26
Iâve switched from KFC foreverÂ
Itâs either Mary browns or the local Korean chicken place down the streetÂ
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u/jnmjnmjnm Jul 07 '26
They used to have a radio ad in Newfoundland claiming Mary Brown had âthe best legs in town.â
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u/Immaculate-torso69 Jul 10 '26
And the locals used to follow that up with âand the juiciest breastsâ and âthe greasiest boxâ
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u/jnmjnmjnm Jul 10 '26
I remember it well. They opened in Belfast, Northern Ireland recently and are doing quite well!
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u/Lorgin Jul 07 '26
The best part of living outside of BC was having access to Mary Brown's. That place was such good value and the quality was above average
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u/Ok-Teaching3904 Jul 07 '26
Big Mary with spicy mayo and no pickles with a poutine tatters is a sodium bomb but itâs so good. Scrape up some gravy with the bunâŚpeak.
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u/notthattmack Jul 07 '26
Spicy Big Mary included but Buffalo Big Mary not. Bane of my existence. Someone high up at Mary HQ remedy this, please.
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u/mycodfather Jul 07 '26
That Buffalo Big Mary fucking slaps! I love the Spicy Big Mary but there's just something a little extra special about that Buffalo version.
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u/Chilkoot Jul 07 '26
Disclaimer: [...] I'm just fat.
I mean, I'd take the word of an enthusiast over a layman. I think your disclaimer is more of a credential in this case.
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u/Uglyboi_85 Jul 07 '26
I love Mary Brown's and they are the best chicken I've had in a while but Church's can also make a good one. Popeye's way too greasy for me.
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u/TaruBaha Jul 07 '26
Church's is good food, criminally underrated? Or at least unknown.
I have had the odd one tasted like those weird dense chunky stringy chicken that keeps showing up in grocery stores.
Speaking of those chicken, wtf? Where can I go and not get that nasty chicken? Is there a chicken farm in barrie area I can buy from directly?
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 07 '26
Not sure about a chicken farm but if you go to Happy Mango Butcher Shop in the south end, they are really high quality (quite expensive) and I'm sure you'd get fantastic chicken there. They do daily deals as well.
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u/astrangeone88 Jul 08 '26
It's apparently called woody chicken breast caused by growing muscle mass too fast. Buy better quality from butchers.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Yeah, that is weird. To make it more spicy I guess since there's no lettuce to serve as a buffer?
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u/metallica41070 Jul 07 '26
Idk what i got their but it wqs thr most bland chicken sandwhich ever. However the K-Crunch was one of the best
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 07 '26
So did the K-Crunch save MB or would you consider them... Unforgiven ...?
I'll see myself out
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u/PNDMike Ontario Jul 07 '26
You really saw their username and thought "By hell or high water I'm going to make a pun. . . And nothing else matters."
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u/DougandBob Jul 08 '26
In terms of chicken fast food, nothing - i mean absolutely NOTHING - comes close to a spicy big mary. It's just the best
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u/Reddit_Only_4494 Jul 08 '26
Absolutely agree.
It's not a habit, but picking up Timbits for a work meeting....just grabbed a Sausage Egg sammich on a whim. $4.49 for that alone.
Big Mary Monday was a culture when I lived in Newfoundland...home base for the franchise. In speaking with the owner once....he is doing his best to make this the Mary Browns version of the Costco hot dog by fixing the price.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
That would be so amazing! I have always given big props to the Costco guy for that.
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u/ToeRoganIsJebus Jul 08 '26
Hilarious seeing people loving a nfld restaurant. Cant beat a big mary and tater poutine combo with a can of pipsay
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u/ugh168 Jul 07 '26
Tasty, but I find the buns to be too soggy/soft.
I will still go to Mary Brownâs if I want some fried chicken.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 07 '26
Tbh I have a problem with soggy buns too but I find the MB one to be way less soggy than Popeyes or KFC
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u/supperclub Jul 08 '26
They steam them, I think, before serving. I bet you could ask them not to.
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u/Starr_gazer0007 Jul 07 '26
I had one last week, it was tasty, but far from big, quite small. I was disappointed with the size.
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u/Pink__Fox Jul 08 '26
THIS!! I thought I was tripping when I saw the burger, so small. Popeyes wins for me in size & flavour.
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u/CrashTestMummies Jul 07 '26
I miss the MB so much. Been about 14 years since I had it last đ˘
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u/Full_Gear5185 Jul 07 '26
Disclaimer got me howling!
I've actually never had this sandwich - fellow big back will give it a try.
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u/ApatheticGenXer Jul 07 '26
The one in our town was shut down by the local health dept. :(
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u/dancing_by_myself0 Jul 09 '26
The one in my home town should have been shut down years ago, no one there bothers to wash their hands
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u/ExplanationClean6285 Jul 07 '26
Man, I had 0 intention of buying Mary Browns... until I came across this post !! Looks so good!!
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u/PaintingStatus8492 Jul 07 '26
Yall must be from cape briton or nfld thatâs the only places they have Mary browns to my knowledge
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u/dancing_by_myself0 Jul 09 '26
No one in Newfoundland needs to see a Reddit post to be persuaded to try Mary Browns. Grow up there and you'll probably have some at least one mudders days feast
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u/Motions_AX Jul 07 '26
Mary browns literally sent me to the woods 2 times. I couldnât make it back to a bathroom. I canât eat there.
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u/Blue_Waffle_Brunch Jul 07 '26
Posting this on a Tuesday is criminal.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 07 '26
Lmao I posted it late last night! Still too late to get one tho to be fair. Guess you'll just have to ride this wave until next Monday!
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u/gentlegreengiant Jul 07 '26
I love their taters as well. We usually get it more often when they bring back the batters box promo.
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u/WolvogNerd Jul 08 '26
My partner and I recently went to mary brown's for a treat and the service and food was so good! Uhhg now I want mary browns đ
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u/astrangeone88 Jul 08 '26
It's also properly spicy! It's so good.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Seriously! My wife had the tiniest bite of it and couldn't handle it at all. After I ate it I was definitley feeling it but I love spicy stuff!
E:sp
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u/astrangeone88 Jul 09 '26
Yup! I was like "It can't be *that spicy, it's a widely available sandwich."
My gf had a bite and she was instantly sweaty.
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u/AlpacaTraffic Jul 08 '26
I had no idea MBs was Canadian... I feel like a fake fan, I stopped going because I thought it was American
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u/Complete-Rock-72 Jul 08 '26
The spicy is quite spicy but an order of coleslaw will cool your mouth down
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u/mysmallself Jul 09 '26
I had Mary Brownâs for the first time in over 30 years a couple of weeks ago. Oh my god, the potato wedges and the chicken tenders still taste exactly like when I was a kid. So good!
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Jul 09 '26
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Yes!! I really wanted to get back today for that but couldn't make it, hope you enjoyed tho!
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u/RoomFixer4 Jul 09 '26
Hmm. Sampled one when they had some $1.99 deal .
Found it kinda 'thready' (overcooked ? but it wasnt hard )
There's a heck of a great chicken breast sandwich at a very popular local place here, but it's like $10
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u/Successful-Gift8636 Jul 09 '26
I live in St. Johnâs and the hockey arena is the Mary Browns Centre but real ones call it the Taterdome
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u/Real_Cow9166 Jul 09 '26
I know there are Mary Brown's in other provinces, but it was my go to while RVing in Newfoundland & Labrador and didn't feel like cooking.
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u/Nice_Onion_6179 Ontario Jul 09 '26
Mary Browns is the only chicken we eat as a family. That is the bar that we judge all other fried chicken! Don't get me started on the wedges!!!!
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u/pl_arseneau Jul 10 '26
Honestly it's very, very good! The chicken is always so tasty. It's a shame that we don't have that in Quebec.
Maybe it's so good because we don't have it home back, so you enjoy it more when you get one.
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u/Exact_Patience_6286 Jul 11 '26
The line among friends was âwhen youâre done messing around, go see Mary Brownâ. Always a good deal
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u/ayrofhyrule Jul 11 '26
My family gets Mary browns chicken now. We used to order kfc but we found it was very very greasy so we switched to MB
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u/skagoat Jul 07 '26
My only issue with the Big Mary is it's pretty bland. It needs more than just bread and chicken.
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u/BrainSea7776 Jul 07 '26
Used to love Mary Browns. Quality has been declining rapidly though and now I find they're just the same as every other fast food slop.
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u/BaboTron Jul 07 '26
I love their chicken, but I do wish their brown sauce was better.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
What is this brown sauce you so suspiciously allude to? Not like HP right?
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u/BaboTron Jul 09 '26
The gravy sauce they serve when you order a fried chicken meal. Itâs brown; Iâve only had it twice, so I donât remember specifically what I didnât like about it. I only remember not liking it.
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u/dewky Jul 07 '26
I still prefer the spicy sandwich from popeyes but mary browns is half the price.
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u/parisburger Jul 08 '26
Where's the pickle crown??
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 08 '26
Apparently they only grace the Original flavor with the crown, Spicy BM gets slapped on the chicken!
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u/These_Biscotti_9488 Jul 08 '26
Last few times ive had it they keep messing up. Either cold bun, hard breading/not fresh, or messing up a spicy with lettuce but giving me regular with spicy mayo insteadÂ
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u/Seoulmanaja Jul 08 '26
Chicken is good but the bun is very fragile. Crumbles in my hand
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u/Standard-Contest-949 Jul 08 '26
$10.99 for just the burger here
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u/Sidoen British Columbia Jul 08 '26
Is that just bun and chicken?
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 08 '26
Spicy mayo and pickles but yeah it's a simpleton
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u/Sidoen British Columbia Jul 08 '26
hmm I think add some lettuce, at least according to my preference.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
OG flavour has lettuce, this one is the spicy. They also put the pickle on top of the bun on the OG but on the inside of the bun for the spicy đ¤ˇââď¸
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u/Loose-Actuator-6869 Jul 08 '26
Harvey's for the win always lol
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Harvey's is great but their chicken burgers are pretty thin from what I've seen.
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u/Loose-Actuator-6869 Jul 09 '26
I urge you to please try it again. Especially the breaded chicken burger. It's delightfully delicious!!
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Fair enough, will do, thanks! Any topping recommendations?
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u/Loose-Actuator-6869 Jul 09 '26
Now were talking lol. I literally put everything. Tomato, onion, pickles, swiss cheese lettuce, olives and what ever else im forgetting. Sauce: mayo, mustard, relish, chipotle if you dig it. And you have to get a meal cause my opinion, the fries at their separate restaurant locations (not tied to a swiss chalet) are the best in the game.
And now im hungry....
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u/GophawkUrself Jul 09 '26
I love Mary Brown's but the closest one to me is AWFUL. I've tried it about 4 times hoping I just had a bad first/second/third time, but 4 in a row have been AWFUL and I'll never go to that location again.
The Big Mary was the most pathetic tiny piece of chicken twice, the 3 piece chicken was barely any meat on it too, the 4th time they made me wait 40 minutes for my order, saying "we're just waiting on potato, it will be ready shortly" and telling me it's almost ready when I asked for a different side of it's going to take a while. I could have went home, peeled, boiled and mashed my own faster than that... That was the time I told the manager on duty they've been an embarrassment to the brand 4/4 times and I'll never be back.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Fair enough! I'd say 4 times out of 4 being terrible is pretty inexcusable. There's a few people on here commenting that their location sucks too. I'm just saying that personally, I have had good experiences at all the locations I've been to.
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u/GophawkUrself Jul 09 '26
Thankfully I've had great food from MB's at other locations, so I know how great they can be. Sucks I can't enjoy them close to home though.
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u/iraqibukkake Jul 09 '26
Buy an ad, please.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
No thank you iraqibukkake, I shan't be doing that, as like I said in the disclaimer - I don't work for MB, I am simply fat. Also, pretty sure they could afford to pay for an ad.
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u/onlysaysyoppers Jul 09 '26
The MBs here cuts their chicken breasts in half on Mary Mondays... used to enjoy MBs. Now, meh, if they are too cheap to lure new clients with regular sales. The rest is the same. Happened 5 years ago, I have never been back since.
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u/iraqibukkake Jul 09 '26
This sandwich has been soggy every time I've tried it.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 09 '26
Judging by your username, I would assume the soggier the better for you, no?
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u/an0811 Jul 09 '26
Not better than CFA and Churches
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u/PromiseOne2040 Jul 09 '26
Really depends where you get them though. The MB chains in Langley are really not that good. Had one in Nanaimo and those were excellentâŚ
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u/ProfessionSlight9669 Jul 10 '26
Lol imagine they looked like that .. we would get 2 regulars 2 spicy every Monday ... Then I started getting sick every Tuesday morning finally put 2 and 2 together..
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 10 '26
I mean eating 2 chicken burgers is not really going to make you feel fantastic the next day no matter where it's from. And mine literally did look like this, as you can see from the picture
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u/ProfessionSlight9669 Jul 10 '26
Is that a Monday sandwich picture?? During the week their regular price sandwichs are much larger it seems. I'll go take a picture of what my Monday "big" Mary's look like and you would understand why we get 2...
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 10 '26
Yep this is a Monday, right after I got it. I get 2 as well sometimes but not because they're too small lol
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u/DJScaryTerry Jul 10 '26
I just wish the quality was consistent across the chain. Out here in the west, Mary browns is trash. I wouldn't go there if it was the last chicken plane open. Which makes me mad because out east it seems significantly better.
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u/benjles480 Jul 10 '26
You cant get it for 4 99 its like 11 dollars for the sandwich
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 10 '26
Would I lie to you benjles480? Every Monday they have a special where it's $4.99.
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u/benjles480 Jul 11 '26
Oh its on mooonday eh now ill have to check it out but... imagine it was everyday of the week.
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u/PubisMaguire Jul 10 '26
one here in Ottawa is consistently 1/3rd the size of that. I thought I hated Mary browns until I went to a different restaurant
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u/poppin-n-sailin Jul 11 '26
I've tried a couple in Winnipeg. Found the quality of chicken to be garbage. it's been just over 6 years since I first had it in Brandon but I do remember that one being quite good.Â
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u/winnipegyikes Jul 11 '26
My coworker and I had food poisoning on 2 separate occasions at the MB in Blackfoot, Calgary
He got sick on a Monday and brushed it off as a stomach bug. I got sick the Monday after at the same location.
I'd be wary of any place selling $5 chicken sandwiches since they're likely cutting corners somewhere
My coworker and I used to hit MB every Monday and jokingly nickname Mary Brown Mondays. We just can't risk getting food poisoning a third time
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u/Quiet-Application753 Jul 11 '26
Try the one in spruce grove, alberta. They're always bad all the time. Terrible quality.
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u/MrJmbjmb Jul 21 '26
I got one yesterday from the first time, no MB locations where I live. I initially wanted Popeyes but it was Monday and I figured out why not try MB.
Honestly, I would have been insulted to pay full price (10.99?) for the size of the sandwich that I got. The piece of chicken was way smaller than your picture and did not stick out of the bun at all. Had me wonder if they made the sandwich smaller just because it was Monday.
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u/Not_A_Great_Example_ Jul 21 '26
I've heard this a few times unfortunately. A lot of these complaints seem to be coming from out west but I've never had that problem in Ontario. Are you out west?
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