Founders lacks right recipe for food

By on December 9, 2009  |  Dinner, Downtown Grand Rapids

IMG_6024Founders Brewing Company is known for being a staple of beer in West Michigan. But when it comes to food, it’s a different story. Despite having a great beer menu and unique environment, Founders fails on the food side, offering limited options with disappointing service.

I recently dined at Founders with two friends. We wanted to try something new to the three of us, and were in the mood for a good drink. We were greeted promptly by our waitress, who then gave us our menus. She told us she would come back to take our drink orders.

We focused on our food options first. We were disappointed by the limited options on the menu — all that Founders offered were sandwiches and a few appetizers. There were no burgers; not really anything you would expect to find in a bar. I opted for the special of the night, a meatball sub. My two dining partners ordered the Red’s Rye and reuben sandwiches. While we expected our waitress to take our order, we were informed that we would have to order at the deli window. Easy enough.

We got our sandwiches and hoped our waitress would come to check on us and see what we wanted to drink. She never came. Instead, we jumped to our feet and ordered at the bar. For a bar that has a few waitresses walking around, we were disappointed not to be asked what we wanted to drink.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of sauce on my sub. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was very difficult to eat. I was impressed by the meatballs, however. The bread was nothing to rave about, but it suited its purpose. I just wish the sandwich didn’t literally go all over me in the process.

My dining partners, however, seemed to be split on what they thought of their sandwiches. The Red’s Rye sandwich, which features roast beef, capicoloa, muenster cheese, red pepper, tomato and chipolte mayo on rye bread, seemed to be on the spicy side, much more than we ever would have expected. The reuben was what you would expect; nothing fancy. But it was probably the best sandwich out of the three we ordered.

And, even at bars, most of us would expect fries or chips available as a free side with sandwiches. At Founders, however, chips were extra, and were just taken straight out of a bag. Not homemade, and certainly not worth paying extra for.

Now, Founders does have one thing going for it — the environment. It’s not too loud, and it is large enough where it’s not cramped together. You can actually talk without having to yell across the table. The ambiance is unique, in the fact that it features old wood and several chalkboards. It just looks cool, especially with little to no light.

But the lack of menu options completely dumfounded us. With its unique bar environment, we thought Founder’s would offer food options that would suit it. Instead, it stuck with safe deli sandwiches — which weren’t even that great.

Now, I understand that Founders is a brewery. You mainly go there for drinks. But that doesn’t mean it can’t have great food too.

Founders Brewing Company  ( Rating: out of 5 )

Where: 235 Grandville SW, Grand Rapids
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Saturday; 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Deli open until 11 p.m. all nights.
Ambiance: Dark bar, but great for conversations
How much will it cost you: Deli sandwiches average around $6.
Credit cards: All major
Alcohol: Yes
Reservations: No
Contact: (616) 776-1195
Online: http://www.foundersbrewing.com

  • Greg

    I’m going to have to go ahead and disagree with you on this one. In my opinion (as well as many other people I know), Founder’s has some of the best sandwiches that Grand Rapids has to offer. Despite that, Founder’s is focused on the beer, not on the food, and you are allowed to bring outside food into Founders, which I imagine is why the menu (which I find to be delicious all around) is fairly limited.

  • Molly Gary

    Did you know that Founders is a Brew Pub that serves sandwiches, not a restuarant that also serves beer? With that said, they have some of the best sandwiches in town. Totally disagree wtih this review.

  • Jorel

    I also disagree. They have excellent sandwiches. They’re slightly on the pricey side but really high-quality.

  • Ron H.

    I thought Founder’s was smoke-free at their new location. Am I wrong? There was no smoke when I was last there…

  • Christie

    I totally agree with the review. It would almost be more appropriate if they didn’t serve food at all.

  • Joey

    Founders has great grub, and certainly doesn’t advertise itself as anything but a deli, offering a menu comprised of unique sandwiches and a few appetizers. If you came in expecting burgers and fries, then you obviously didn’t intend on being impressed or come with any pretext about the place at all. And you thought the Red’s Rye Sandwich was too spicy? What did you expect, when the ingredients include ‘capicolla’ (a spicy ham) and ‘chipotle mayo’? Perhaps next time you review an establishment, you should leave your ‘expectations’ at the door and come in with an open mind, especially if your intention is to deliver an unbiased review. Either that or stick to burger and pizza joints.

  • Chris

    Completely disagree with this review as far as food quality goes.
    In my opinion Founders has some of the best deli sandwiches in town.
    That said, it’s all about expectations. Having been there, I expect great beer and good, unique deli sandwiches, not burgers and fries I can get at most any bar. I agree service can be an issue. Drink service is often hit or miss, based on how busy they are and who your server happens to be.

    Joey, I wouldn’t read any review and expect it to be unbiased. That kind of defeats the purpose of writing a review.

  • Tom

    I agree with this review, though I may have awarded it three stars instead of two. I can’t believe so many people are saying that Founders has some of the best sandwiches in town! Founders can’t begin to compete with places like Schnitz Deli and Cherry Deli. I also agree with the people who have noted that Founders is primarily a brewery. The author hit this point a few times in his review as well. Even so, if a place serves food and a customer pays for it, there’s no reason he or she can’t expect it to be good.

    Joey, I’ve had Red’s Rye at Founders. It’s spicier than most people would imagine it to be (even in light of the capicolla and chipotle mayo). Also, every dining experience entails expectations and every review is biased.

  • Clay Maker

    I love going to Founders, Ive consumed nearly every sandwich there, and am generally impressed with the quality. That said, I’m willing but not thrilled pay the $10 a meal and I agree that chips or a side should come with. The last few subs Ive ordered have featured bread that was not fresh that day, which is OK unless you’re accustomed to it being the other way. The staff is my favorite in town, and make every experience memorable. Initially 4.0, now 3.5.

  • http://petelbury.tumblr.com Pete

    I tend to agree. I was disappointed standing in line at the window, realizing all I had to choose from were sandwiches. But as far as sandwiches go, it was tasty. And…the beer is fantastic, which is why I was there in the first place. With beer like that, you can overlook the lacking food menu.

  • JoelFalz

    I agree that lack of sides (chips, fries) makes the pricing on Founder’s sandwiches steep. That said, I’ve been impressed with every sandwich I’ve ever had there. I think it’s completely unfair to compare Founders to any other restaurant in Grand Rapids in terms of service and selection…because its not a restaurant. Founders is a brewery focused on bringing phenomenal beer to the masses, and they do so better than any establishment in Michigan. If you’d shown up after 6pm on any Monday evening your “expectations” would have been absolutely destroyed, and you’d know what the place is really about.

  • Tom

    your gripe is that your sub was good, but messy? You ordered a MEATBALL SUB!

    “excuse me, waiter, this beer I ordered appears to be bitter and taste like hops. Expect a scathing review.”

    And it’s because of people like your friend that most places are afraid to make any of their dishes spicy. A little heat and they whine and moan about it, so management makes everything bland.

    Considering that Founders is not a restaurant, I think their sandwiches and appetizers are pretty creative and tasty.

  • Jeff

    Why not go to a bowling alley next and review their food? I mean, I understand it’s a bowling alley…but can’t they have good food too? The point is, you go to Founders for one thing…the beer. And in my opinion it’s some of the best beer around. Having any food available is just a bonus.