Everplans Eats: One Good Meal Deserves Another
Bang Bang (n): When you go out to eat, eat a full meal, then go to another place and eat another full meal.
While it may have its origins in Louis C.K.’s show, Louie, the fully-realized Bang Bang may not have happened in real life until October 30th, 2015.
The Friday started with innocent intentions: the Everplans team, donning an array of celebratory Halloween costumes (a Gorilla, a Vermont politician, and a Lego Vampire, among others), stepped out for lunch at Ribalta, a classy Italian place in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
All seemed to be going well: we tore through multiple pizzas, salads, and appetizers with zeal, the conversation flowed with ease, and everyone was excited by the impressive stats coming in from our sales team. It was a great way to end a great month.
As the meal began to wind down, our co-founder, Adam (who was dressed appropriately as a super-hero), made an unsettling suggestion that would shape the rest of the day:
“Alright, guys. Bang Bang. It’s happening. Where are we going next?”
We looked at each other in disbelief. A few of the uninitiated needed an explanation. Others thought it was a joke. But just as quickly as the shock hit, the ideas started flowing:
Burgers!
Thai!
Chinese!
Less interesting Italian!
The list grew, touching on the ridiculous and delicious alike, but a theme began to emerge: something walkable, and something entirely different from the meal we had just annihilated. After a few more minutes, we knew what we wanted: fried chicken. But not just any fried chicken. Korean Fried Chicken, at Turntable, a retro-themed restaurant in Koreatown.
Let The Bang Bang Begin
We stepped back into the unseasonably warm day and headed north. Somewhere around Union Square, a few small groups split off, and a core of us moved briskly onward. Several attempts were made to “get in shape” for Bang Bang: a pull-up competition in broad daylight; a pre-meal drink at a Belgian beer garden. Soon enough, the team converged on Turntable, and settled in for round two.
Turntable was ready for us, replete with Halloween decorations, cat-costumed waitstaff, and fuzzy hits from the ‘60s - ‘80s. Two enormous plates of spicy chicken wings soon arrived, along with two glowing towers of beer, bowls of pickled veggies, and several cylindrically cut fried potatoes.
Between gluttonous laughs, the team methodically plowed through the spread, knowing full well we’d surpassed our necessary caloric intake hours before. We rooted for each other. We cajoled each other to take just one more bite. But it didn’t matter - this was history in the making. Hilarious, overwhelming, gut-busting history. Bang Bang, fully realized, as only Everplans could do it. When the cat-waiters came to collect, all they got were empty plates.
After carefully talking Adam down from a possible phase three, we gingerly made our way back to the Everplans office to try our best at a few minutes of work before complete exhaustion ensued. We made it back just in time to hear that our sales team had knocked out their best month yet. Who wants dessert?