Founding Farmers - Reston

Always appreciate the extremely high quality of food and service at Founding Farmers. On this particular visit, our server, George, went out of his way to make our experience special. One of my favorite places to eat in the Northern Virginia area.

It took 20 minutes for someone to acknowledge us and take our drink order. Other tables around us that were seated after us got drinks and food before we placed our initial drink order. This is not the first time this happened to me at this restaurant. I'm not inclined to go back and let it happen again.

Waited for an hour without a reservation and we missed the brunch buffet. We came back next Sunday with a reservation. We arrived 15mins earlier than our reservation to check in. We were seated 30mins beyond our reservation, to find out their buffet is a bit a downer compared pre pandemic. (I understand that it’s pandemic, they have to have someone serving the food.) But the choices are limited. Foods just tastes okay, of course except for their spicy souther buttered chicken!

Recommendation: Please manage your reservation well. Don’t just open a lot of time slots but you cannot guarantee reservation time for your customers.

They were running 20mins late for our reservation, AND ran out of clean plates for the buffet. Our server was great! He really rolled with the punches. But overall it’s was a rough Sunday in there!

The initial experience was a little disappointing, the desk staff was a little distracted and the reservation time was ignored. The bar was closed and the staff had know idea how to accommodate the guests waiting. We were advised that only the buffet was available, there would be no option to order from the menu. Once seated the outdoor staff ignored our table. Two of the assigned servers walked by our table without even a glance, no water, no silverware, etc... I sent two of the people in our party to the buffet while I waited at the table to get going before the 2pm close.

The buffet was very well stocked at first, but not replenished regularly. When I pulled a server aside I was informed that she was not our server, but immediately stated she was "ready to go" and was phenomenal throughout the meal. She was the saving grace. We did speak to the Manager (Steve) and found him to be very helpful. We were able to order off the menu some very specific items that really made the experience great. Once we got into the flow and had the right server (Rachel) and the manager (Steve) working with us the experience went extremely well. The food was great, the buffet did get replenished and was really very well done. We left the restaurant very happy and will return.

The biggest thing we noticed was the wait staff was not fully trained. Steve (the manager) told us the COVID story on staffing and explained the hardest part of the last several months they have been trying to find qualified staff... that being said I beleive that Founding Farmers is well worth the visit. My advice is to be patient and work with the staff to make the visit a positive one. BTW - the eggs benedict was phenomenal.

Our waiter was horrible! Had to ask him several times for stuff. I loved my experience in another location. Was excited to go again and what a different outcome.

We have dined here before and loved it. This was a special occasion and we had always wanted to try the Sunday buffet. We must have had the pre-covid experience in mind when we decided to spend this much money on a dining experience. Sadly our experience was disappointing. This was our first time on weekend and we would not recommend the Sunday buffet. For $29.99 /person we expected more. Most the food had run out and we spent a large amount of time waiting for it to be replaced. The staff serving the food had to go between stations so there was a build up of people waiting for food. Food not labeled well and not all items listed on menu were available because those stations did not have an attendant. Certain menu items had to be ordered through waitress which took extra time to get. One waitress covering the large outdoor seating area and she struggled to keep up. The waiting on coffee refills and extra plates made it difficult to enjoy the meal.
We would go back, just not for the buffet.

Sunday Brunch buffet was overpriced, bad service, nickel and dime’d you for everything. First time there, not worth the price. Maybe normal service is better but the brunch was mediocre at best.

The Reston Founding Farmers is the best in the area for us. The menu never disappoints and the indoor or outdoor dining is always beautiful.

Food was good, service was good. You can sit outside or inside.

Love this place. This place is a special for me and I always come here with friend and family when we want to eat out. Service and foods are excellent and people working here are friendly!

Excellent experience as usual

We went for our anniversary dinner.

I ordered the farmers platter with brisket, spare ribs, fried chicken, house Cole slaw and potato salad. The brisket was tough and chewy, it tasted like it was cooked in a microwave rather than slow cooked over many hours- it was also not cut on the bias so every bite was a full jaw workout. All three meats were either slathered in sugary sauce or in the case of the chicken, accompanied by a dipping cup of sugary sauce. The chicken without the sauce was crispy and perfectly seasoned and the Cole slaw was tasty as well, although the cabbage was a little more “al dente’ then the farmers probably intended. The potato salad confused me- it was ok to not use mayonnaise, but I tasted no vinegar either, just unseasoned cooked fingerling potatoes with a couple of raw broccoli florets. The menu looked so exciting but the execution was a disappointing misfire. The manager was very responsive and accommodating and this should be commended.

I really want to like this place but I have several reservations. When checked in they neglected to tell me my 12:30 reservation was running 15 minutes behind. Then we wanted to order off the menu for Brunch and we were told we couldn't buffet only. Other people around us got things brought to them off the menu. Brunch items were running out not being refilled and the area around them was not being cleaned up, stray food everywhere. There were not enough staff to do the serving in the buffet area and they kept talking to each other instead of paying attention to their jobs. This place is not cheap so I can find someplace else that is better managed to spend money. And the quality of the food is not the quality I would like.

I love the food here, but the brunch buffet was not particularly well-organized. Staff had trouble keeping the buffet stocked with items and wait staff was not very efficient at retrieving something out on the buffet like bread, for example. Also, the ice cream was frozen so solidly at the end that staff was only able to scoop strawberry and nothing else, and there were no toppings even though they were advertised on the menu. The menu also said waffle cones were available and they weren’t.

Overall, this is a pricey brunch buffet, so I expected more in terms of service, fully stocked items, etc. not sure I would recommend it based upon my experience. There may be some better options at $30/per person.

Great place to go far a Sunday Brunch (if you can get in). We normally go to Tyson's location, but we could not get a reservation so we went to Reston. Tyson's have more options on their brunch, but Reston is not far behind. I will be happy once COVID is over so that the full buffets are back. The wait staff always checking on you and making sure you do not need anything. Great place I will be back

Perfect outdoor seating spaced out. It was my first time eating at a restaurant since the pandemic. We ate outside. I was nervous but they were extremely clean and cautious for brunch. We asked for to go cups for our drinks while eating there and it was no problem. They give you your plates at your table. And they serve you your food at the brunch buffet behind glass to eliminate cross contamination. A couple ppl thought they were suppose to serve themselves and reached for the tongs and the servers immediately addressed them politely and changed out the contaminated tongs.

The food was extremely delicious and hot.

We went for brunch on a Saturday. The French toast was excellent.

The food is Okay. The prices average. The service completely horrible.

The service was absolutely awful.
We waited 30 mins to get water, 1 hr to get food, 1 hr 15 mins to get coffee, and my drink.

But the worst part was the the waiter's attitude. No apology but blamed on how busy they were and that I could complain to the manager.

Over all, I would not dine there ever again and would not recommend to anyone.

Meh! This was my first time to Founding Farmers after hearing people rave about it and the food was just bland. I don't understand the hype. Maybe it was this particular location. Maybe they were having an off day, but not a very good breakfast for the price. Coulda went to IHOP and had a more flavorful meal.

The chicken salad sandwich was awesome. The spicy chicken salad was even better!

We enjoyed a lovely family meal at Founding Farmers recently. It was a special experience and we would definitely recommend it to anyone who asked!

Absolutely great place to bring the family and have a meal.

Great concept with huge menu. We had some issues trying to address a garlic intolerance but the server helped us find something okay in the end. Great salads and bread.

Very disappointed. The appetizer was great, the entrees- MEH. Hardly any vegetables on the menu except green beans and succatash. Not everyone eats pototoes and mac and cheese. Will not eat there for dinner again- maybe lunch possibly.

Very generous portions (3 servings per
meal) and low prices. The food is outstanding.

Great food. Buffet on Sundays until 2 pm. Good variety, delicious.

The brunch was terrible. I don’t know what happened to this place. The service was terrible, we never got coffee refills or anyone at our table and it wasn’t even busy. Waste

Over price buffet, food cold. What happened to this establishment

We dined on a Sunday and did not know that we would be limited to the brunch special. The first three plates we were given were dirty. One of the plates had food smeared all over the bottom. We ordered two orange juices, (fresh squeezed) which were great. The waitress refilled our glasses, but failed to tell us that we would be charged for each glass.

Once we got past the plates, the food was good, service was great, and the weather was great for outdoor dining.

Waitress should inform clients of the order from kitchen option that differs from the buffet area. Not all items on your on line menu were offered. We were disappointed in the variety of food since we did not know of the food that needed to be ordered through waitress so we did not get to savor everything.

Service was just so so and the food was mediocre at best. The brunch selection was very limited, I assume due to COVID precautions. They had just a few waiters jumping from station to station to help serve food the morning of Easter Sunday, but at least 4 people gathered around the reception desk. There were no omelettes being served, and the pre-cooked food looked warmed over. For $40 a person, I was just not impressed. This was a branch valley of $20 at best.

Although we have been to other Founding Farmer restaurants, this was our first visit to this location. The restaurant decor is warm, open and comfortable. The staff is friendly and very accommodating, with fantastic service. The food was great. We ordered the proscuitto and fig bread appetizer that was very good and the Braised Chicken Risotto for an entree. This was incredible. A definite 12 on scale of 10. The location practices all COVID-19 safety guidelines and makes you feel safe.

The service was excellent, the atmosphere was fun and the food was delicious. We had a wonderful evening.

Food was delicious, came quickly, and had excellent service.

The location, crowd, and menu are phenomenal. The manager even works and visits the tables and you rarely see that in dining establishments!

It was my birthday so we enjoyed every bit of our food and the ambiance.

Our only critique is that our sweet waiter would have communicated better and that she would remember our requests. We could tell she was trying really hard, and assumed maybe it was a new job so we were kind.

Overall we will be back for brunch to come

We hope to visit again for brunch soon

Our waiter was great!

Service was slow