It is no secret that the new star of Route One is Looney’s Pub. With that entire shopping center expanding and Route One slowly growing into an entity all in its own, Looney’s Pub is the center beacon encompassing everything Route One has to offer—good food, friends, drinks, live music, and even Sunday brunch. On top of all of this Looney’s has decided to add another perk to their list: Monday Trivia Nights.
For those of you who have never been to a Trivia Night, it consists of rounds of seemingly useless questions that result in a top three placement and prizes. Ever thought, “When will it come in handy to know that the original title for ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles was ‘Scrambled Eggs?’” Well, Trivia Nights are perfect for such knowledge.
Usually done in a pair or team, it consists of answering random questions and receiving points. As all trivia nights are different, it is to be expected that every night will bring something new.
Being an avid trivia fan myself, I almost peed my pants with excitement when I heard that Looney’s, my favorite new bar in College Park, would be hosting a trivia night every Monday from 7:30 until whenever the last round ends and the points are tallied. It begins late enough for those with night classes to make it on time and at the same time doesn’t go too late for those (like me) who have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn every morning.
Since trivia started back in February, my team and I have been steadily increasing our skills to the point where we usually place every week. The team at District Trivia consistently make our heads hurt with their mind boggling questions and yet the good times keep us coming back. All 5 “main rounds” are termed “general knowledge” — you know, random facts you never thought you would need.
The other rounds are all bonus rounds. Ranging anywhere from “Name that Butt” where you’ll be given several pictures of celebrity booties to guess to put these presidents in order from the most recent to the least recent, these rounds are the ones where teams can redeem themselves.
In other rounds, you fill in the blanks from a pool of answers. One other popular round is the music round in which you listen to clips of 10 songs and for bonus points you have to identify the theme connecting all of the songs together (last week’s was “body parts”).
PROS: Coming from a completely unbiased point of view, Looney’s is truly a great restaurant. I have yet to meet a staff member who doesn’t treat their patrons like friends. And as far as trivia night goes, one of the bartenders is even on my team, if that gives you any indication of the camaraderie between the staff and their customers.
On top of trivia, which is free, you get Looney’s “Wing Night” every Monday night, which means all of their wings (I personally adore the honey and old bay flavor) are only $.50! Moreover you have plenty of drink specials to keep you lively during the game. I’d recommend this as a good alternative to happy hour or a night out with a friends, because, unless you join a random team (and you probably won’t), you’re not going to be meeting many people while the game is happening.
CONS: The host — a pleasant young woman who tries her hardest to be funny – reads 10 questions into a microphone, repeating each one a few times so everyone can hear her. The only problem is not everyone can hear her! Not only is the sound usually too low but those not participating in trivia usually don’t try to keep it down. Completely understandable though—it is a bar. But it does make life difficult.
All in all I have to say is that Monday trivia nights at Looney’s is a welcome addition to the weekly events this restaurant and bar has. Every Monday as the teams begin to file in, the room is abuzz with what types of questions will be asked that evening. Although not every team is a winner, it is still a fun time to be had whenever you can get together and try to do your best with friends.
So get some friends, think of a creative team name, and be sure to catch Looney’s trivia night every Monday from 7:30 p.m. until whenever. Even if you don’t win, you’ll leave with more useless trivia facts than you started with which will come in handy when you finally make it on Jeopardy (A girl can dream, right?)