Founders' Lounge
Dining at Kauffman Center
Founders’ Lounge offers a menu of elegant dishes, a selection of seasonal craft cocktails and a diverse collection of wines and spirits. This reimagined restaurant will continue to provide a perfect pre-show complement to any Kauffman Center visit.
Located just within the south doors, the Founders’ Lounge offers you a sweeping view of Kansas City in a sleek and sophisticated atmosphere.
Founders’ Lounge was formerly known as The Dining Experience.
Reservations Encouraged, Walk-Ins Welcome
- Make your reservations through Tock.
- Reservations are available up to one hour before the latest showtime.
- Founders’ Lounge is open prior to most evening events.
About Executive Chef Laura Comer
Executive Chef Laura Comer
Laura Comer is a Kansas City native and 2002 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance. Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, where she earned her A.O.S. in Culinary Arts and a Le Cordon Bleu Diploma in 2004 from California School of Culinary Arts.
She has worked in both sweet and savory kitchens, and for multiple, nationally acclaimed restaurants including Bluestem, 40 Sardines, and the Fairmont-Kansas City. Comer was executive pastry chef at Trezo Mare and Trezo Vino, Justus Drugstore, and the McClain Restaurant Group then went on to be the regional chef for Treat America. She is currently the executive chef at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo. In 2018, she was named Chef of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, and in 2020 and 2021, she was a finalist for Best Chef KC in both The Pitch and Kansas City Magazine. She is also a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and is a Certified Sommelier. Recently, Comer appeared on season 28 of Guy’s Grocery Games on Food Network and won on the ABC Mania episode. She also appeared on the inaugural season of Hulu’s Chefs vs. Wild.
The Founders’ Lounge is Presented by Premier Partner Saint Luke’s Health System
Please be aware that our kitchen commonly uses wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.