The FOUNDERS Cafe — Restaurant in Johor

Went for lunch today, ordered a few dishes. We always enjoy Founder’s food. We ordered all these below (kindly refer to images) the chicken & fries served really late (I guess they left out) but it’s okay, we asked & waited.

Few moments later, chicken dish is finally here… I started eating chinese coriander on top of the chicken… and I spit out, because I felt new to the texture. So I spitted out, I thought it’s mushroom, but then I checked again, there’s no mushroom in that dish. So I took a look closer, I thought it was a baby leech? Ohwow no, it’s MOVING! ITS A BABY SNAIL (fyi, without shell)! ITS GLIDING!!! I tasted a live baby snail and spit out alive too! 🤣 IM AMAZED it’s still alive. So i told the first server (not sure is p.i.c/manager of the Founder?) about it, he only said oh want me to send back and let the kitchen check? I said no, because only will end up replace another plate or another meaningless of waiting. But he didn’t apologise. And he just left and didn’t take any further action. Don’t think he recognise the emotion we are feeling in the situation…

Seemed like tasted/ having an alive snail in my food is completely normal, no big deal la, veggie got worms only. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We then told another server after-all, because is somehow disgusted by the issue… and also how can he (first server) not taking this seriously?

After complaining… he never offer to change my plate (the snail still gliding on my plate and having it’s own sweet time) No apologies at all from the p.i.c (also the first person we complained to). Only the counter attendant (Chinese) and another Chinese server (that we complained second time) mentioned sorry. Don’t think he appreciated the complaint/ take it seriously or perhaps didn’t empathise with the situation we are in. Instead of apologising himself, he sent the chinese server to hand us a bag of gift (granola & peanut butter if not mistaken) He then came by only when we asked if we should pay for the dish? And he said they gv 20% discount for the whole bill. (We still need to pay for the chicken) and also this one (the gift) already gv u all for FREE. (Still no apologies from him of course, and with that attitude 🤷🏻‍♀️ ) After that, only he waived out the chicken dish bill and 20% for the whole bill. But we didn’t accept the gift, because we actually don’t need a FREE gift 😅 seemed like he is unhappy with it too 🤷🏻‍♀️ still no sorry from him. Actually what we need is a better attitude from the p.i.c, at least you do concern customer’s satisfaction after complaining? And reassure that customer’s complaint is being taken seriously? Not sure how serious it could be by having an alive snail in my food. And it’s still alive after I spit out 🙂 Understandable too to have worms/ tiny creatures on veggies (because didn’t wash thoroughly?) But it is an extremely important responsibility of every F&B service to serve guest hygienic food & beverage right? As well as well mannered in servicing. Thanks to the second server, he did a good job. Not first time here, food is good, feeds the soul. But not sure about...

Feeling bored on a Sunday morning, I decided to cross the border to Johor Bahru for a hearty breakfast at The FOUNDERS Cafe. The ride-hailing service from Johor Bahru City Square Mall costs RM22.

Opened in 2020, this café is tucked in a light industrial estate between Austin Heights and Taman Daya. This place has a roster of many wait staff providing an attentive service during my visit on a Sunday morning.

I had previously patronised People & Places Cafe, opened by the same owner. It became popular after it was patronised by famous people such as Superstar Jay Chou and The Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail and his wife. Unfortunately, the café shuttered during the pandemic. The owner later rebranded it as The FOUNDERS Cafe in 2020, at another area not far from its original location. I had a brief chat with Soon Hao, its owner back in 2019 at ROUTINE by Soon in R&F Mall. I found him to be a nice and friendly chap with an interesting personality. Regretfully, this eatery had also closed attributed to the pandemic.

The new space here is more spacious compared to its predecessor. It is furnished with industrial-chic design elements such as unfinished cement walls and neutral colour themed furniture. Interestingly, the café works with local Johor partners, Claytan for the provision of its tableware and YARÓMA for its hand wash in the restroom. This place certainly reminded me of a day club, which was playing reggae at the time of my visit. It offers a lively atmosphere which will appeal to the young diners.

I had ordered the following items for my breakfast here:

Kampong Eggs Anyway which consisted of two Sunny Side Up (RM12.50), Bagel with Green Onion Cream Cheese (RM4.90) and Streaky Beef Bacon (RM5) - RM22.40

150g Aussie Beef Bagel which costs RM38.90.

The total cost of my meal is RM71.10.

Despite a bigger space, this place still gets filled easily due to its strong following and popularity. Therefore, I recommend arriving early for your breakfast here. The FOUNDERS Cafe certainly deserves to be included in your checklist of recommended cafés to visit in...

I often come across posts about this well-known café on Xiaohongshu, so I finally decided to visit on a Sunday afternoon. Before stepping inside, I noticed their queuing system – it turns out they use a number-calling method. Although the café wasn’t full, there were no staff around to assist, so despite feeling a bit confused, I followed the signage and managed to get a queue number.

There was no door person, so I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to wait outside or if there was a waiting area inside – it was a very hot afternoon. Eventually, I decided to figure it out myself. I walked into the café and saw a few people waiting, so I found a seat and sat down to wait for my number to be called.

About five minutes later, a staff approached me and led me to a table. The interior was beautifully designed, and the owner's taste in decor was quite interesting. The café uses a QR code ordering system. After quickly browsing the menu, I ordered the truffle carbonara and truffle fries. (Yes, I’m a truffle fanatic.)

About 15 minutes later, my food arrived. The beautiful plating made me eager to dig in right away. Overall, the pasta tasted pretty good – the beef strips were tender and flavorful, not dry or tough, which I really appreciated. The only downside was that I could barely taste any truffle; I even doubted whether I had ordered the right dish, but upon checking, it was indeed the truffle carbonara.

The truffle fries had a similar issue – the truffle flavor was not strong enough, which was a bit disappointing. They were shoestring fries, not the straight-cut kind. Very crispy, though slightly hard, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying them.

When I was ready to pay, the staff at the counter seemed too absorbed in her phone to notice me. Even when I called out to her, she didn’t respond. I had to walk over to another corner of the counter and make some noise to get her attention. I hope the owners will put more effort into training the staff to improve the customer experience. Friendly, welcoming staff can really make visitors feel...