By Steffen Klenk
On a sunny Friday morning, over a dozen people stand in line outside of Browns Restaurant in Ocean City. This Ocean City eatery is best known for their hot and fresh donuts made every day. Somers Point resident Cindy Chanese and granddaughter Ali Antonell of Long Valley, PA, picked up their order before going to the beach. “We love it,” Cindy says.
And they are not the only ones. Their donuts have attracted both the locals and visitors that frequent the bustling shore town every summer. Melissa Brown is the co-owner of the North End eatery, along with her husband Jim. Melissa says it has become a yearly tradition for families. “We see the kids and then they grow up, they have their kids and they come back and have their first donut. It’s a really neat thing to be part of.”
The restaurant has been in operation since 1976. It was first opened by Jim’s parents, Marjorie and Harmon Brown, who were teachers in Orland, PA. After noticing several donut stands in the area, the Browns invested in their first donut machine, and it worked, according to Melissa Brown. “Everything is homemade. The toppings are homemade, and they’re made to order hot off the press,”
There are seven flavors that go into a Browns donut. Their most popular flavor, according to Brown, is cinnamon sugar. “Dad used to call it a sand donut because it looks like sand.” They also have vanilla, chocolate, powdered sugar, honey glazed and plain donuts. The Browns’ son, James, and nephews Alex and Luke, were hard at work taking orders and delivering donuts to hungry customers. “We’ve all been working together for the last several years now, so we get to know each other,” James Brown says.
It’s not just donuts that make this iconic location popular. They also serve breakfast and lunch daily with menu items ranging from Pancakes to Omlettes, French Toast and Belgain Waffles, even their mouthwatering cheese steak. “We have certain people only come in for our burgers and Sloppy Joe,” says Brown. “We know when they’re coming in and know what they want.”
With over 40 years of expertise and three generations in the business, the Browns have been keeping the family name in the business. Jim and Melissa Brown say they are very lucky. “We have four children. At any given day, you’re going to see at least four Brown’s here. There’s never day that there’s not a Brown here.”
Browns Restaurant is located at 110 Boardwalk on the North End of Ocean City. They are open daily from 7am-4pm, serving breakfast and lunch. Donuts are served until 11:30am. To see their full menu, go to brownsocnj.com. Be sure to follow Browns Restaurant on Facebook and @brownsocnj on Instagram for the latest information.
Steffen Klenk is a multimedia journalist. He resides in Ocean City and enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life.
