The Grouper Experience

A grouper is a random connection with 6 people. 3 guys get connected with 3 girls and you pay $22 dollars for the matchmaking. I went on one about 2 weeks ago and the thought of $22 dollars never really entered my mind because it was something different. The first drink is on the bar but everything else you have to pay for. It makes sense that Grouper collects the majority of that money and the bar gets 6 customers. The money is secondary to the experience.

The last Grouper went very well. A good description of it can be found here. The one tonight was at Mac’s in Old City. I’ve been there on previous drunk occasions but not frequently. We arrived at around 7:55 when the concierge (Ashley)(Theories exist around Ashley) alerted us that the girls were running 10 minutes late. We grabbed a drink at the bar and passed the time. 3 blonde girls arrive through the door and as we are gazing from our bar stools, it was obvious these were the girls of our grouper. I’ll mention that it was very on the ball to alert us that they were going to be late.

First impressions were a solid 8.5+. Looks aren’t everything so there would never be a score that is a 10. We did our name introductions and I made sure to not forget any names from that point on. We were seated at the back of the bar in a table that looked like this.

I sat on the inside of the booth and Evan and Aaron occupied seats 2, 3, while I sat in 6. We knew that a 3v3 wasn’t a good look and I would have liked to try an every other (it tries too hard) but this is a solid formation. Not overbearing but still mixing it up. We did the introductions and what happened this time was different than last time. Aaron (seat 2) 1v1 seat 1 and then Evan 1v1 seat 4. The previous time it was mostly 6 way for the majority of time but this was different. I 1v1 seat 5 out of social necessity and asked about occupation, location, and general background. She asked the same and we had good banter back and forth. After 10 minutes the group starting coinciding and conversation was flowing. I talked with the girl in the 1 spot about her job and traveling and that also went well. She asked one question about whether I liked to cook and I knew I was put on the spot. I told her honestly I don’t cook and take out more often than not. I knew the answer she was looking for but bullshitting it would come back in poor taste.

My one gripe about Mac’s and this Grouper location is that in my 6 seat, I had no means of communication with the 4 seat. I would glance over and try to get something going but with a person, at no fault of their own, blocking the eye sight, it wasn’t working. Grouper would learn from this comment. The girls were class acts. They all lived together and were friends and they had a nice chemistry between them. As I mentioned earlier they are big into cooking and it’s something that is fun for all involved. I can’t think of one negative to say about these women.

The girl in the back right was photobombing

We picked up the tab which is such an obvious move that I’m not sure why it’s not expected. Why do I feel this way? Moving forward these girls are going to compare any Grouper to this Grouper. This is leaving a good taste in their mouth. I casually said that this was a lot of fun and they said that we were above expectations. I detected a certain amount of truth. Instinctively I’d guess 78% erring to the low side. The odd thing about a Grouper on Thursday night is that work is the next day. I would have happily stayed out but then again, I’m happy to write this post afterwards. It reminds me of this.

All in all it was a positive experience. I’m not sure what may come of it but it’s better than the alternative of doing nothing. I’m hoping that entries like this are better than previous material and any comments would boost viewership. Boosting this blog would be welcomed.