Founders Brewing Co. Reviews

Great brewery/pub. Lots of standup tables, picnic tables (inside and out), live band was ok
Great beer! Only downsides is the ordering and pick up of your food at the counter. Felt "fast foodish"

I drink a lot of their exceptional beer
Thinking of drinking
Planning my drinking
I have a problem
I don't have a Founders in my hand right now

What a great experiance. First time going to Founders and we were not disappointed. Not only did we get some awesome beers we got surprised with free beer because of our first visit. Awesome staff and laid back atmosphere.

Founders is definitely a staple in GR, but recipes done changed up in this piece. I just spent a day talking up the beer cheese and it tasted like a Kmart blue light special white cheese dip, mixed with dirty old tomatoes.

Was going to be 3 stars but Take'er Easy Bud was dope, so 4. I recommend for sure.

Great beer and food, alot of people being served and sitted

Who can deny one of the best breweries in the country?
Yep, right here in Beer City USA!
They're doing it right here and one of mah favs!!

Atmosphere, food, & beer all excellent. Live music also excellent!

Already excited to go, but when I found out they have Redankulous on tap? I lost it:)

Seated ourselves easily and served right away and that was the last time we had service or even a hello. Waited over 30 minutes before getting fed up and going to the food pick up area to get our tab and parking validated. Sandwiches were so-so and of course the beer was great. We wanted to order more but was not worth it. I guess since I didn t have a beard or fancy mustache we got ignored.

Amazing beer. Amazing atmosphere. Outdoor seating available with heaters. Indoor seating is a free for all. Highly recommend if you like beer. Cheers.

Great beer, good appetizers, friendly service. The outdoor area is very neat, love the outdoor bar.

The place is huge, the beer is fantastic, and the food is great! If you're in the area, definitely stop by. Everyone was helpful and they have some cool stuff in their shop. Easy access to 131 and I-196, so don't worry about getting lost when coming/leaving here!

Fantastic place for brews. One of my best brewery visits in grand rapids

Stopped by today for a late lunch with the family. Honestly the first time I have felt comfortable in a restaurant since COVID. They are enforcing the rules and we felt super safe. Food was excellent - I had the Philly, wife had a salad, kids had pizza and grilled cheese. Did a beer flight including a few unique-to-taproom options. Make sure you look at the one star reviews and see that they are just from folks upset about being asked to follow rules... sad to see.

beer was great. a couple of the wait staff were unatentive and rude. really nice outdoor seating though!

Very good beers. Wasn't fond of the Red Rye IPA. Finish was more metallic then fruit. I was offered a replacment pint. That was better perhaps the glass wasn't rinsed properly? Food was very good pulled pork sandwiches in several different variations. Had the famous KBS to finish the night excellent! Lives up to its billing!

Great rustic feel. Multiple bars so it's easy to pick up a drink. Reasonably priced beers. If you're not a fan of beers, sodas are $2 with free refills. There's one pool table. Bathrooms are clean. They play loud dubstep music inside so conversations are difficult to hear. There's a covered and heated outdoor patio that is much quieter.

Had a great experience. Lots of good beers and bartenders were well educated and helpful.

Always a good time. Only for stars because at one point all the servers disappeared and we couldn't order anything unless we went to the bar.

The only thing about this place that took away the stars is the service. Everything else, food, atmosphere, beer, everything is great. The service is just meh to the point of disappointing. This is an organizational issue, not a personnel issue. The place is seat yourself, and you have a tab that follows you anywhere. This is convenient because you can order from anyone at any time, but this is also the places biggest problem. You don't have a server. Every server in the place is your server. Before you think this sounds awesome, keep a few things in mind: there is no need to give you personal attention, you are simply a number and treated as such, don't expect the server to know what you're drinking because you'll get 5 different people at 5 different times, if someone says they'll be back, don't believe it, once you are served food, no one will follow up with you, you will have to spell your name at least a dozen times, and this is all because every single server has the mindset (understandably) the you are not "their table". And they are right. And you will be treated as such. If service is not an important element of your dining or night out experience, you'll love Founders. If good service is important to you, be warned. In the two hours the 10 of my party was there, we had to flag down servers 5 times and wait for a follow up for up to 15 mins. Too bad because great service could make Founders a must visit every time I'm in town.

Founders is a top notch brewery with great beer and good food.

I remember when they were in the Brassoworks building down town and has like 6 taps.

Since then they have expanded their new building about a million times and have some of the best brew in town.

Founders us a destination for lots of travelers and gets hella busy! They also do live music from local and regional artists so make sure you know what the scoop is if you are going to go at night!

5 stars, baby.

Had a fantastic tour today with Ivan. He was knowledgable and entertaining. The beer was 2nd to none and food was great. Try the beer cheese dip and Mas Agave. You won't be disappointed.

Wow. Legends sometimes live up to the hype. The Kentucky Breakfast Stout was truly worthy of its world renowned reputation and my lord the pulled pork was deliciously Smokey and flavorful.

Great brewery with an enormous tap list. Sandwich was excellent and servers were helpful. Band was on stage for a beautiful night.

This place was great and the best brewery we have been to in quite some time. Great vibe and fun staff. Every beer we had was top notch and he food was good and delivered quickly. Didn t want to go but had plans to go to Kalamazoo. We wished we had stayed at Founders.

I have been there many time over the years. Good sandwiches, excellent beer, excellent atmosphere, the servers are very good and well there is a reason that it is popular.

Excellent friendly staff. Went there with our two young boys, unsure what to expect. Kids do need to be gone by 9pm.. Great store, great food and awesome beer. The staff was friendly. Definitely will he stopping again of in the area.

Don't bother trying to get in the taproom if your not young and hip. Signed in to the wait-list app and kept getting updates pushing my check in time 30 minutes later each time. They want old fat guys to stay at home and drink their beer not show up at there place of business. Waited 45 minutes more than the initial wait time and still kept getting updates of my wait time being increased

It's delicious, nutritious, and makes you better. Well... It's one of those three, but the important one.

One of the best breweries around. Fantastic beer, every one. Delicious food crafted with various sauces infused with their beer. Beautiful bar and gift shop. Passing through Grand Rapids? Founders Brewing is a must stop.

Loved the atmosphere and very easy to get more drinks or food. Food and beer were delicious as well

Probably the most well-known brewery in beer-city USA, and for good reason. Excellent craft beer, and a fun area to hang out. The regular live performances and tasty food also doesn't hurt!

Great beer, wide selection, great food. Come hungry!!

The food was very underwhelming. It was dressed up with fancy ingredients, but lacked good flavor and balance.

Great Beer, AWESOME food, and reasonable prices make Founders an attractive establishment to frequent. My biggest complaint is that this place is always packed, and therefore it can be difficult to find decent parking, and even when you do you may not find an open table inside the restaurant. Due to the large amount of people, it can get pretty loud; making it difficult to hear the people at your table during a conversation. But the large crowds are the direct result of Founders being such a successful business, and I can't fault them for being extremely popular due to their dedication and hard work. If you are in the Grand Rapids area, and you haven't yet tried Founders Brewing, then I highly suggest that you do so. You will not be disappointed!

Our waitress spilled beer all over my legs and sandals. When I complained she said "get real lady you are in a bar". When I told her she was disrespectful she traded our table of 8 with a young man who gave us fabulous service. He turned a 2 star into a 4 star rating. Love your venue. Great beer and excellent retail store!

Much better experience this time. Food is good, servers are still kind of distant, not rude like before but not customer service oriented. Limited seating but has improved.

Good food. Service can be spotty as it's a little disorganized. Once you actually have you server they're friendly and reliable. Primarily sandwiches and apps on the menu. Beer is obviously phenomenal. Check out the store as there are often surprises. Kid friendly during lunch/dinner but IDs checked (21+) after a certain time.

I'll be honest, the food is good -but VERY expensive. The reason for one star is that on top of really expensive food and rushed staff (they come off as very rude, but I think they're just rushed due to understaffing), you literally cannot get a bite to eat without paying a cover charge. I'm not talking a few bucks -we're talking $10 per person just to sit down and eat. We were told we could not sit down to eat unless we paid $40 in cover fees -we could've cared less about music. So, whereas founders has great beer, I'm not for nickle and diming to stuff already full pockets and plumb won't go anymore. If they want to provide live music to entice crowds, they should do it on their own dime. Lawd knows they already make enough with expensive food, beer, covercharges, and understaffing. But, they do it because they can -it's smart buisinesswise -but pretty crummy with relation to customer satisfaction and care. Also, the parking really stinks.

Fantastic food, fantastic people. Always crowded, but I would still I would give it 6 stars I could.

The food is amazing. The beer is great. The way you have to find your way through the chaos to order your food and find the correct line for you specific beer... awful. If I go to a resturant I want to sit down and order not sit down, look around, and figure out whether a waitress/waiter is coming or not. Through trial and error I founf that if you are sitting at an empty table then you will not be waited on. If your table is full of food there will be service. If you want to order an iperial stout or a pc pills. Its not the first or the second line you see. Its some other line you can't quite see but each line you go in tell you to find the brassworks bar. I found that if you want to avoid the frustration while you're hangry after your long day at work its best to wait till your food is ready and then have one person from your table of two go and retrieve it so that your table doesnt get jacked. If you want to make a restuarant enjoyable just put big signs everywhere. Make it idiot proof, make it first timer friendly. You know, easy, enjoyable. Not chaotic and confusing. I would like to know whats going on, have some direction. Maybe you should just have all of your beer in one place? Maybe there shouldnt even be lines just come in and order or have steps for people who have never been there so they dont feel awkward.

This place is amazing! It's a super cool building with plenty of outdoor seating and fires/heat lamps when the weather calls for it. The beer is great and so is the service. If you're ordering food, you can't go wrong with The Glutton (a sandwich that had me drooling the moment it came out of the kitchen). They also book love music acts, so make sure to check out the schedule before you go.

Great Beer! However they sell overpriced 4-packs like many others.

+6 stars for Red's Rye, staff, food, and atmosphere

-1 star for Red's Rye only being in draft

Great beers
Delicious food
Hip atmosphere
Plenty of outdoor seating
Nice gift shop

Ordered the Centennial IPA and Reds Rye sandwich & warm pretzel to eat.
We were thoroughly impressed!

Recommended!

Great beer, delicious snacks, good atmosphere, what more can you ask for?!?

I can't tell you how much I've been wanting to go to Founders, for years. Finally get up here from Florida and all I can say is, what an fn joke this place is. $5 cover? For a. . .band? There was no band. All the beers on tap, we get down in Florida, I mean, c'mon man. I am pretty much heartbroken here. Yes there are brewery exclusives, but, a Vienna lager, solid gold? An Ipl? Who cares.

Amazing beer and the sandwiches never cease to amaze me

No seats, rude bouncer, good food, good beer. One of those things where they were so busy the experience was dampened. Guess that's what you can expect from such a popular brewery.

Sitting here in the Salisbury Arms, a pub in the suburbs of North London, UK. I ve just had a superb pint of light hoppy PC Pils and had to google the brewery all the way over in the States. First class.

Founder's be danky like wait, what? Beer is all like, I thought I told you that we won't stop. Food be like seriously, stop. I had everything jammed in my flavor hole and moaning while my eyes rolled back in my head. My mom likes Founder's too and she's a beer racist all like, I don't even like the black beers. Mother please.

The food is good but all their beers have a chemical twinge taste...

Always a good craft beer to be had. I've been a loyal customer for 16 years.

Awesome atmosphere and great beer. The place is huge with plenty of seating too.

Very unfair business practice of distribution of products between local and big chain stores.from now on our store will support other small brewery who support small business. We can not longer support marketing this brand that wants to only support big box business and not support local businesses when it comes to distributing their speciality products.

Memeber of AARA Midwest

Extremely cool place to host a corporate or personal event. Ask for the upstairs room in the summer. You will not be disappointed.

Best microbrewery in town and excellent food to boot! Open mic on Tuesdays and bands most other nights!

My husband and I make it a point to always visit Founders when were in Grand Rapids. They have great imperial Stouts to choose from & a ton of other beers as well. Food is alway amazing as well

Came here from out of town with friends after a show. No liquor is served but if you like beer this is your place. Food was AMAZING! I got the corned beef sandwich

It is a great place to see. Food and company good . Staff good. A little loud to hear conversations.

Love the PC pils. My new favorite summer beer great on those sultry summer days crisp refreshing Brewing for them is great for us!

BEST brewery in GR, and in my opinion, in Michigan. Fantastic atmosphere, from live bands to relaxing out on the deck with the fireplaces. Excellent variety of craft brews (Sumatra Mountain Brown is a must have when it's available, especially Nitro!), and a very friendly staff. The shop is full of awesome merchandise as well! Newest improvement: A dedicated parking lot! Up to 5 hours can be validated when you bring in your lot ticket, so don't forget it and you'll have enough $ extra for another beer!

I always love going to a good brewery! I especially love the outdoor atmosphere and I have always had great food here! The downsides are that you have to be on the prowl to find your own table , and you have to go to the window to order and get your own food. When going out with friends, I like to sit back, relax and catch up, not worry about snagging the next open table or grabbing my own food.

I was pleasantly surprised to find such a great pub when I moved to Grand Rapids. I'm now addicted to their Pale Ale. Top quality.

I DIDNT VISIT THIS LOCATION, ITS MORE LIKE I TRIED THEIR BEER WHICH I BOUGHT AT 365 BY Whole Foods HERE IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA. I HAD THE ALL DAY IPA SESSION ALE. ITS THE 2nd CAN IVE BOUGHT FOR 1.99 FOR 16.9 oz, ITS A GOOD BEER, I HAVENT HAD IT SUPER COLD SO I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW IT WILL BE AT THAT STAGE.

Busy place, packed with energy, nice open seating and atmosphere. Love the CBS.

I want to love Founders, but the difficulty in finding seating and the fact their servers are all over the place makes this place a nightmare to eat here. Drinking is fine at the bar or a table, as long as you can be aggressive and grab your own table or sit at the bar.

Food is great, if you can ever freaking the dang thing.

It's been a dream of mine to visit here for quite some time. The staff were fun and energetic. Their outdoor patio is a destination in itself. The food was great!of course the beer was awesome!

The beers are good, the food is amazing, and the restaurant is a beautiful setting. The only and I mean only thing that doesn't make it a 5 star is seating. God help you if you wind up there on a day where their is like 3 youth soccer teams all wanting to sit at every last table possible instead of together. If that happens to you I mean id almost say go to another brewery and come back, it can be really frustrating finding a seat and or keeping that seat if you have to use the restroom.

High energy place and EXCELLENT beer. I was familiar with some of their beers before I went, but I really enjoyed getting to see what else they were capable of making. Parking is a little challenging, but if you can steak out a parking spot it is very much worth the effort.

Hands down one of the worst places I have ever been. Seat yourself means people hovering over you while you eat wanting your table and people that got there after you force their way in front of you to steal a table. NOT COOL! Waitstaff was horrible even when she came by twice for a table of 8.Took orders and never came back for almost an hour.We had to go get from the bar ourselves. WHY WOULD I TIP YOU? Food came out wrong twice and had to wait almost an hour to get another sandwich..Beer cheese is gross!! Pretzel was microwaved chewy burnt tasting garbage. But I will say beer was great. Not enough for me to ever go back or suggest to anyone.

Great food, great beer selection, the portions are the same, prices are so good. Highly recommended

Good beer, great food, fantastic outdoor patio. Their music line up is awesome, and the staff is helpful.

Great beer, lovely atmosphere, but the bartender with the long greasy blonde hair was VERY RUDE! He basically yelled at us when our drinks were ready, and was so unhelpful when we were trying to decide what to buy. We honestly would have bought more beer and stayed longer if he wasn t so rude.

Good beers and descent food. They have several pub exclusive beers. Prices were reasonable. They were pretty packed for a Monday night.

Beer and food were great! Atmosphere - fun but wish I was 20 years younger!

I'm not one to give out 5 star ratings lightly. This is a must go to in GR. They have beers that are ONLY available at the brewery with special twists, like the orange something IPA I devoured. The smoked wings were some of the best I've ever had and I'm somewhat of a wing connoisseur. Every one in my party was blown away!!

Our all store will no longer support your brand anymore.

The manager Amy is one of the worst people in the hospitality businesses I have ever dealt with. Will not go back again.

Very friendly staff, overall a great place to go out and meet people!