Thursday, January 31, 2008

Dining Out in a Small Town

So, part of my job is to make arrangements in various communities within Northeast Nebraska, for our office board meetings. Usually 25 people, food is a must, a separate meeting room is a must, and a door to the room is a high priority (not always an option). Other preferred perks are: good food, take credit cards, don't mind 25 separate checks, good service and free use of the meeting room. Pretty basic requests.
Here's the clincher... the median size of a community in Nebraska is 350. I live in a village (for those under 800 in population) of 368. We have one cafe, to dine out at. No separate meeting room. Therefore, they are not on the list of places to eat out at.
But here's the other part... the boss picks the communities with some randomness, and some rhyme and reason; and then gives me the list. I, the very non-native to the area, are then left to discover the list of eatery options. Most times, the list is a list; other times, the list is one. Ok, maybe two.
So, last night we were in Bloomfield. It's getting rather close to the South Dakota border. Lovely city of 1,126 people. You'd think you would have options. We did. Our option was JB's. I think, in the daylight, it also doubles as a gas station/convienent store. But by night, it's the city's only eatery, and it has a NEWLY remodeled meeting room. (They finished the remodeling just in time for our meeting). It was great... tables filled the main store area; and we crowded creatively in the meeting room. We could order from the menu; but they had planned a special Special for us. 2 pieces of Broasted Chicken, a large mountain of mashed potatoes, overflowing with cream gravy; a side of green beans; one very large roll and if we still had room, a large piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting; all for $4.95! What a deal! 20 of the 22 visitors dined on this great feast; while a few opted for the menu's burger and fries.
You must keep in mind that we were all most gracious for the warm and cozy environment, as it had dipped to -3 degrees by the time we departed the meeting. We left in the freezing chill of the night; with tummys full and another successful board meeting checked off my 'to do' list.
I'm just waiting for us to get to a community, where an eating establishment isn't an option... maybe my boss already knows where he can't go...

No comments: