Show off your smarts: Free trivia nights growing in popularity at suburban bars
What's the appeal of bar or restaurant trivia night? To Bradley Cool, director of operations at Crust Brewing in Rosemont, it's the community behind the competition.
"There's a sense of camaraderie with your friends, it's something to do," said Cool. "You meet a lot of other people when you do it because there's a lot of people consistently going to those same places."
It's that unmistakable camaraderie that inspired Cool and company to begin hosting trivia nights at Crust Brewing this past summer. Cool said that part of the success can be owed to Whaddyaknow?, a bar and restaurant trivia company that hosts the brewery's Monday night games.
"Their hosts are always very energetic and they're very interactive," Cool says. "They have a really good Facebook and Instagram social media following to help drive the promotion too."
Cool said that though trivia is popular in Chicago, it can sometimes be difficult to find in the suburbs.
"I know just from going to trivia that there's a lot of people who drive in from the suburbs to certain restaurants in Chicago to meet their friends," Cool said. "My goal was to have a place that's kind of like a common meeting point.
"Trivia in Chicago kind of has a cultlike following," Cool said. "There's people who have their teams and they've had their team names for years.
The investment in trivia has paid so far for Crust Brewing, with packed nights being a regular occurrence.
"I've had at least 10 teams participate every week since we've started," Cool said. "Trivia starts at 7 p.m. every Monday and goes until roughly 9:30 p.m., so it's a 2½-hour event. In my mind they're gonna get food and they're gonna buy an extra drink or two while they're here.
"I'm in a weird spot where my restaurant is 16,000 square feet and I can fit 400 people in my dining room, so if I have 15 or 20 tables of people playing trivia, I still have a copious amount of space for just regular guests coming in for dinner," Cool said.
Trivia nights are also a great opportunity to show off some of the brewery's libations, Cool said.
"Our most popular [beer] that I always recommend to people is our Dough Roller Lager," he said. "It's a Vienna lager, it's amber in color. It's called the Dough Roller because it's the wet ingredient that we use in our pizza dough, because we are a Neapolitan pizzeria and brewery."
Cool hopes that the suburban trivia scene will continue to grow.
"There's places in the city who do trivia who, when trivia starts at 7 p.m., if you don't get there at 6 p.m. then they'll turn you away because they're full," Cool said. "I would love to see that happen here eventually."
Looking for a chance to flex your mental muscles? Here are some suburban trivia spots to consider:
Crust Brewing
5500 Park Place, Rosemont, (630) 653-5500, crustbrewing.com/
Trivia: 7-9:30 p.m. Mondays
Don't let your team go hungry: Crust offers a variety of beer and Neapolitan pizza options to share during trivia. It's hard not to recommend the 312 pizza, which is topped with mozzarella cheese, Italian beef, and giardiniera.
The Evergreen Pub & Grill
1400 W. Main St., St. Charles, (331) 901-5142, evergreenpub stcharles.com/
Trivia: 7-10 p.m. Mondays
Enjoy a beer and a burger with your team in an easygoing trivia environment. Though trivia is held on Mondays, the Friday Fish Fry and Smoke Out Thursday should not be overlooked if you're a carnivore and find yourself in downtown St. Charles.
The Town Bar & Grill
681 E. New York St., Aurora, (630) 499-9975, thetownbar.com/
Trivia: 8 p.m. Thursdays
Keep your team sharp with $12 Miller and Coors buckets, $3 You Call Its and $5 burgers during The Town's weekly trivia nights. Don't forget to sample some of the specialty martinis such as the Dreamsicle, which is a blend of svedka vanilla, triple sec, orange juice and a splash of Sierra Mist.
Penrose Brewing Company
509 Stevens St., Geneva, (630) 232-2115, penrose brewing.com/functions/penrose-trivia-wednesdays/
Trivia: 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays
Win a free round of beer or some brewery merch during Penrose Brewing Company's free Trivia Wednesdays. Question topics range from pop culture to current events and beyond. Prizes - including gift cards, swag or growler refills - are awarded to the three top-scoring teams. While you're there, consider trying a seasonal brew such as Oktofest, Pilsner or Geneva's Alehouse farmhouse ale.
McNally's
109 W. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 513-6300, mcnallyspub.com/events/pub-quiz/
Trivia: 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays
Hosted by Quizmaster Shay Clarke, the bar's popular weekly pub quiz is sure to entice newbie and experienced trivia teams alike. If you get hungry, try a signature dish such as corned beef and cabbage, sheperd's pie, Scotch egg, cheese curds or a boxty. Come back on the weekend for a special brunch menu and bottomless mimosas.
• If you know of other trivia nights, email clinden@dailyherald.com.