The second most important aspect of any successful Homecoming weekend (behind filling the steins) is finding a good place to eat. The "Fill the Steins" crew has developed a winning schedule of eating activities throughout the weekend and encourages you to follow:
Friday Night
Whenever large amounts of alcohol are being consumed in a weekend the best possible option for your first meal is always Mexican food; it lays a solid foundation on which your other consumables can be stacked. We gather at Margarita's to enjoy meals and beverages and to catch up on the times.
Nothing fills the steins better than a local microbrew or several local microbrews and there's no better place to do this than the Bear Brew Pub. With a variety of beers on tap and the opportunity to play pool or hit up the discotheque it makes for a great end to the first night of Homecoming weekend.
Saturday
Depending on your tolerance for stein filling, your breakfast may be sit-down, drive-thru, or better spent in bed. You're on your own for that one, but the executive tailgating committee will be out the door early and waiting in line on College Avenue with the millions and millions of Black Bear faithful for a prized parking lot space.
The food; uncompromised. The location; ideal. The beer; typically lite but sometime light. Some consider it the culmination of Homecoming weekend it's our annual tailgating in the parking lots near Alfond Stadium. Last year Corbett Lot won the bidding war to host our tailgating event and it was a massive success with our hopes to return there again this fall. It's bring your own food and beverage at "The Lot", no bottles but yes to steins especially the red plastic cup type.
The staple of any healthy collegiate diet is the consumption of massive amounts of pizza in the basement of Pat's. Space is always limited so we encourage you to go immediately from the tailgating directly over to Pat's so you can continue to stretch your waistline even further. After many pitchers and several rounds of Zingers we take a break for the late afternoon recovery period.
Out of the way from the typical overcrowding of Homecoming pilgrims, The Sports Arena offers a safe-haven and alcohol rich environment in which stein fillers can thrive. Mix beer with bowling, billiards, and a billion televisions and you have the last official stop on Homecoming Saturday. No night at the Arena would be complete without the steiners break out the old Karaoke machine for some ballads from a by-gone era.
Sunday Morning
Like a weekend fling from your old college days, Sunday morning usually leaves you with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach. What better way to fill the void left from leaving friends and losing brain cells than stopping by the world's great truck stop, Dysart's, on the way out of town. The long tables and trucker-size portions offer a poignant final act to another successful Homecoming. Farewell and ado dear friends.