Community Corner
Motor City Trivia's a Hot Ticket at Basement Burger Bar
The hot live trivia game pulls crowds into local restaurants on ordinarily slow nights.
A hot craze is sweeping through the bars and restaurants of southeast Michigan. It's an addictive trivia format that makes going out with friends downright smart.
MotorCity Trivia is attracting followers in Farmington, at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Mondays at Basement Burger Bar, 33316 Grand River Ave.
Plymouth-based MCT started in March 2009 with two locations but has grown to 50 sites throughout southeast Michigan. The games are run by "trivia emcees" who ask questions in eight categories. Players compete in teams to come up with their answers while the host spins music. The event draws crowds of eager participants who follow the game weekly.
Find out what's happening in Farmington-Farmington Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
MCT co-owner Mark Adams started the venture with three partners to create a hip trivia game.
"We had a love for playing trivia in general, and we had seen some variations of live trivia," he explained. "We spent several months testing out game formats until we came up with one we liked."
Find out what's happening in Farmington-Farmington Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The excitement is contagious, and cheers and jeers erupt when correct answers are called out. Two games are played a night, and the venue awards a gift card to the top two teams in each game.
Prizes help lure people into the games — and into the restaurants on slower nights, Adams said.
"It was an important concept to us to reward the loyal players who come to the bars each night and spend their hard-earned money," Adams said. "No company in the Midwest comes close to touching the over $6,000 we give our league players every 15 weeks."
The leagues are free to join, and the trivia games are free as well. Bars often run happy hour specials on trivia nights.
According to Adams, MCT has a staff of 35 hosts, each of whom brings a unique flair to the shows — which makes it fun to travel around to enjoy the different trivia venues.
MCT offers trivia nights in several other Patch communities:
- Birmingham: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mondays at Dick O' Dow's, 160 W. Maple.
- Brighton: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesdays at , 9745 Village Place Rd.; and 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesdays, and 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sundays at , 6800 Whitmore Lake Rd.
- Canton: 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesdays at Bowery Grille & Pub, 41275 Ford Rd.; and 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesdays at T.G.I. Friday's, 44250 Ford Rd.
- Northville: 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Brann's, 39715 Six Mile Rd.; and 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturdays at Aubree's Pizza, 20420 Haggerty Rd.
- Plymouth: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at Hermann's Olde Town Grille, 195 W. Liberty St.; and 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursdays at CJ's Brewing Co., 14900 Beck Rd.
- Royal Oak: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesdays at Mr. B's, 215 S. Main St.; 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesdays at Mt. Chalet, 32955 Woodward Ave.; and 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursdays at Four Green Fields, 30919 Woodward Ave.
For more locations and times, click here.
