It’s been more than four years since Verrado residents Steve and Karen Maynard established Tempo Urban Bistro on Main Street. Their hyperlocal concept focuses on fresh food, craft beer, music and art.
Then as fate would have it, The Maynard’s daughter urged them to attend a trivia event while vacationing in Florida.
After realizing how much fun they had, The Maynards were inspired to launch their own version in Verrado on Thursday nights from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
“After completing our renovation last September, Steve and I introduced our first Tempo Team Trivia Night,” Karen Maynard said. “Our patrons love to match wits with their fellow neighbors, and they enjoy seeing Steve and I emerge from the ‘back of house’ to host each event together. It quickly evolved into a fun weekly tradition by popular demand.”
Teams arrive early, in hopes of scoring a table in the center of the action, with the ultimate goal of winning Tempo gift cards or swag from Tempo purveyors, and more importantly, bragging rights as Tempo Team Trivia winner.
“We try to ask relatively mainstream questions, so that the majority of contestants can answer them,” Chef Steve admits, “But in the history of our trivia night program, only one team has answered every single question correctly in every round. And we have a strict no-phone rule. If a team is caught surfing on their phones, it’s grounds for public shaming,” he laughed.
The competition doesn’t end at coming up with the correct answers. Team monikers have become highly competitive as well, with entries on a recent Thursday night running the gamut from Fine Wine to Vipers, Premium Meats, E = MC Hammer 2, to a few other names that might receive a PG rating.
It’s all in good fun, paired with Tempo’s happy hour appetizer and drink specials throughout the night.
“We like to mix it up,” Steve said. “On Valentine’s Day, it was men versus women. We also have themes, with teams arriving in 70s attire or Halloween costumes. And we’ve hosted family evenings when the kids are out of school.”
On a recent trivia night, the battle became heated, with the winner declaring victory only after going into a triple overtime round.
What’s on tap next? “Tempo is not only the heart of the word contemporary, it represents the rhythm and beat,” Steve Maynard said. “We will continue to bring that beat to Main Street. Watch for our popular Wine Dinner Series coming in May, June, July and August!”