Fox Den Board Game Cafe — Local services in Burnsville

This is a really lovely location. Big tables, lots of space, and a cozy environment. The staff were very friendly, and even though we weren't there to shop products or play one of their supplied games, we could see there was an exciting selection of both.

As for the issues, my sibling, who is autistic, was a little put off by the harsh lights. They immediately said, "These lights are NOT autism friendly." But the thing keeping us from giving it a better rating is the food situation. The website mentions "food" but fails to mention it's just bags of chips and candy, and cup noodles that you have to make yourself. On top of that disappointing selection, they shut down their food and drink area at 7 when the game room was open until midnight. We arrived for a D&D session at 6 and only had an hour to order coffee drinks or bubble tea and the sad cup noodles offering. They did still allow the purchase of canned soda and chips/candy from the main counter. We have another gaming type place we go to, and while it costs money to play there, they have a wide array of meal and drink options, and their kitchen stays open until an hour before they close. And they're always good about doing a last call before the kitchen closes. We know we can go for a long session there, have dinner, and play. If their kitchen is ever non-functioning, they allow gamers to bring in outside food. We were specifically told we could not bring in outside food despite the poor food options at Fox Den, although we did see a couple of people bring in outside food regardless near the end of the night. We'd even be willing to pay a fee to allow us to bring in outside food, but gaming for 5-6 hours with only chips, candy, and the lowest quality ramen one can find is just not ideal. We would have to see the food situation at Fox Den improve significantly before we'd choose them again over the...

I have visited twice and left disappointed and not wanting to give them further business. At the first visit the shop was noticeably smelly, so much so that my wife wanted to leave immediately. We have had poor service with employees playing games instead of stopping to assist us as customers waiting at the front counter next to them.

Most recently I asked to see their single cards for sale and asked how they priced them as no prices were listed. They told me that it was TCGplayer market price. When I checked out, none of the prices were at those prices. They had rounded up to the nearest dollar, even on cards that were 51 cents, they were charging $1. Even though I can afford that difference, when I pointed out the discrepancy and that it had added about 33% to the total purchase cost and asked for them to price it as they had told me it would be they did not and the employee scoffed and smirked at me while saying no. This was very off putting as it felt like I was being disrespected by both the bait and switch price and also by the employee,

I realize that shops need to make profits but the market price is already at a profit, especially as in store avoids any profit split with the listing service. Further, other local game shops have always been either transparent with their prices or willing to reprice per the market value if they are saying that is what they sell based on.

Other shops such as The Forge, Dreamhaven, and Lodestone have consistently given better customer service, not been duplicitous with pricing, and been a better experience with both the atmosphere, the sense of community, the events they hold, etc. I intend to take my future business to their competitors and would recommend other customers visit these other shops to compare...

I have been here 3 times. Pros:

1. Booths are typically available
2. Decor is pleasing - murals, lighting, etc.
3. There are hundreds of free games to try
4. There is a small cafe with food and beverage choices....which would be nice IF:

Cons:

1. The food is TERRIBLE. I've tried most of their menu and it's very low quality, poorly prepared food. The mozzarella sticks were like salt sponges - the coating was soft and they were thick and squishy. The fries are curly fries, like from dollar tree or something - also soft and small, broken pieces. The ranch seems to be fat free, it's jelly-like with a very artificial flavor, not your typical delicious restaurant ranch. The pizza is also soft and cheap, flavorless crust - just junk. And the cauliflower is a pile of teeny tiny cauliflower particles that you need to eat with a spoon like it's cereal. All food came out just above luke warm. After being here 3 times, I don't think I'll be back. Even the napkins are of surprisingly low quality - may be a risk for paper cuts.

Playing games is fun and the social aspect is great, the environment is nice enough, but decent food offerings are necessary and their food isn't even decent....