Hosting Furry Gatherings - What's Best?

[Aaeden]

Granted, the lines sort of blur between the private restaurant and the private pub/grill, but it's different enough to merit another option. Share your experiences, and let us know which options you feel are best for hosting furry events!

[Benjamin]

Pubs are good!
I thought the Firkin pubs were a chain though? Whatever & Firkin?
I like pubs though. Mmmm... Pub grub!
 
I recall the Guelph Furry Breakfasts, where we would begin the day at a privately owned greasy spoon for breakfast. Excellent breakfasts with bacon, eggs, or what-have-you. Prrr... There were a couple occasions where we had used hotel restaurants, making good use of their breakfast buffet and whatnot. That wasn't so bad, but hotel kitchens don't really have that great of a quality nor do they have that wonderfully greasy ambience. Heheh.
For dinner at the GFBs, we'd usually end up at the Penny Whistle... a pub with the typical English pub fare, including some excellent curry dishes. Mmm... I usually got a pint of Strongbow while there, too. Yeah, it's just cider, but it's difficult to find a place that serves cider on tap. And it's good cider!
Ummm...
Around Toronto, they have a weekly meet still at a Harvey's. That's not so bad, since at least those folks do good burgers.
I haven't seen so many furmeets at coffee places though. Small get-togethers perhaps, but nothing beyond that, since coffee shops tend not to have much seating.
 
Benjamin

[Aaeden]

Right. I'm pretty sure the Firkin pubs are a chain now too, now that I think of it. Poll amended as indicated.

Yeah, there's plenty of events that use each, with the exception of coffee places, I just wanted takes on whether one thing worked over another, any specific suggestions if people felt like it, etc.

[Ekevoo]

I think all is good, it depends more on the type of people you want to attract.

[RappyRaptor]

We had a few at Boston Pizza, they turned out well.

[Harle]

Haven't been to a meet, but things I've noticed for social gatherings:

Boston Pizza sounds nice, it's sort of loud(both visually and audibly) enough to sort of relieve tension. I've noticed that the quieter a place is, the less people feel compelled to talk. You want something festively noisy, so people don't feel awkward when they laugh or joke around loudly or whatever. Plus it means it's loud enough that you can talk about furry stuff without everyone in the room hearing about it.

Of course, I'm big on dance clubs myself, but I admit that they're most fun if you already have a good group of people you know, because they're typically too loud to really make talking easy. And not all furs are the dancin' sorts, so not being able to chat easily is kind of a pain. Especially for people who don't know each other. But still, totally fun for the right group of people. Nothin' better if you're into it.

[Widontknow]

I'd say either a franchise coffee place or a pub of any kind.  I suppose I would choose the best place depending on the fur or furs I was meeting.

Generally coffee places work out well if you're meeting one other person, while pubs work well for meeting 2 or more.  Besides, it's easy to fill the silences in pubs.  All you need to do is grab some pub food and wait for the standard awkwardness of first-meetings to pass as you eat.

[DogboyShugo]

I like the private food idea the best

[Aaeden]

Of course, I'm big on dance clubs myself, but I admit that they're most fun if you already have a good group of people you know, because they're typically too loud to really make talking easy. And not all furs are the dancin' sorts, so not being able to chat easily is kind of a pain. Especially for people who don't know each other. But still, totally fun for the right group of people. Nothin' better if you're into it.

I totally don't know how to dance. 

I want to learn though.

Every time I go to clubs I'm like... "OMG, I LOVE THIS MUSIC"... *stand* ><