Women and Girls Out by 8:15

I've often thought it must be an odd experience for anyone just traveling through Utah to pull off the freeway at a local eatery about 8:15 pm on the first Saturday in either April or October. They would find themselves surrounded by famished hordes of men and teenage boys wearing white shirts and ties. It's a semi-annual male-bonding experience.

Unless you want to be waiting for a long time, you need a plan. Some eat dinner before the meeting and go for treats after. We like to go for dinner afterward. We've tried different strategies. When we went up to the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, we stopped afterwards at Crown Burgers on North Temple. Here we met a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of hungry men and boys with a handful of bewildered out-of-towners. I think CB served about 15,000 people in an hour. The next visit to the Conference Center, we stopped at the Denny's just off the 4500 South exit. Here there was no crowd at all, but some suspicious looks from the few people there. (Don't people in Murray go to General Priesthood meeting? Or to they just not go to Denny's?) Getting out of the downtown certainly makes a difference. (You'll be dining late either way.)

Here in American Fork, we've tried Arctic Circle in Lehi (moderate crowd), Quiznos (moderate), JCW's (ridiculously crowded), and Gandalfo's (our little secret). In the race to your chosen place, a few minutes can make a huge difference. We've decided against going to a church closer to where we want to go, but we quickly learned that it's a good idea to back into your parking place and plan a route that involves mostly right turns. It's bad form to leave during the closing song, and you should at least put away any folding chair that you sat on, but otherwise, it's quickly out the door. Remember to drive with courtesy and caution, but also with purpose.

Don't even think about some place like Chili's, Applebee's, Cold Stone, or Maggie Moo's. These are probably still occupied by the mothers and daughters who basically own the town between 6-8 pm. But there oughtta be a rule that all girls need to clear out by 8:15. Ladies, it's in your best interest. Otherwise, you'll find yourself surrounded by deacons and their dads. (The only real difference between these two is the size of their bank account.)