Founders' Lounge, Dining at Kauffman Center — Restaurant in Kansas City

We usually enjoy our experience at the Founders' Lounge; however, last night's visit fell short.

I ordered a rare steak and received a dry, medium-well cut of meat that appeared to have been sitting in the window for some time. I didn't complain and just ate it.

We ordered a dessert to split and, before it got to our table, a staff member (who was not our server) dropped the check. I noticed the boar ragout had been rung in for me (instead of a steak), which explains why my steak was not cooked to my liking -- the server (I think her name is Jennifer) rang in the wrong dish and likely did not realize it until the food was ready, so grabbed a steak that had been sitting out under a heat lamp unclaimed. It seems she asked a staff member to drop the check and run my card so she didn't have to explain why the check was wrong.

Dessert finally came several minutes after I had paid my bill and it was totally unappetizing. My daughter and I each took one bite and pushed it away. Have you ever seen a 9-year-old turn down dessert? We ordered brown butter mochi, which did not resemble mochi in the slightest. It was a dry, flavorless coconut crusted cake log. The cinnamon toast crunch ice cream was chalky and gritty. The dish was also missing the black sesame sauce.

Our server never checked back on us. She scurried past us several times in a nearly empty dining room, but completely avoided contact. My processed tab with tip filled in was sitting at the edge of the table, clearly visible. I can only assume the server saw that and immediately stopped caring, despite an obviously untouched dessert pushed to the side. Didn't even offer a to-go box. I should have never been given the bill before my dining experience was finished. It felt very tacky for a rather upscale restaurant. Overall, a very disappointing experience.

We are season ticket holders to the ballet and have eaten here before each show for the past 2 seasons. This place was amazing the first few times. Sadly, the food has gradually gone downhill (we had an unplalatable dish last time) and now the service is crummy. We are typically given a warm goodbye/thank you as we're leaving. The staff used to go out of their way to make you feel welcomed and appreciated. Last night, there were several staff members near the door on our way out. I tried to make eye contact to say goodnight, but they were all either oblivious or plain didn't care. This was...

Service was just OK. My main course came out cold and needed to be sent back. The other entree was warm but my friend chose not to send it back. When the manager asked how our meal was and I told him about it, he blamed us, stating the server brought it out but saw we were still eating our salad, so took it back. I fail to see how that warrants serving a cold dinner. I responded “you asked, so I told you”. He apologized and walked away to chit chat with the hostess. This restaurant has some work to do before I spend another...

What an amazing experience! My party of four enjoyed drinks and an early dinner before a symphony performance. The service could not have been better and the atmosphere was classy yet cozy. The view out the Kauffman windows was spectacular as always. We enjoyed a three-course dinner and enjoyed every mouthful. The servers did not hover but were always available for anything we needed. Menu is interesting and well prepared. I will definitely...