BLACKFINN WILL BE THIRD BETHESDA
BAR TO OFFER TABLE SERVICE WITH
MAY 10 LAUNCH OF "THIRSTY THURSDAYS"
Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!
A promising new trend is developing in downtown Bethesda's nightspots: bottle service/table service.
Once a practice limited to places like Las Vegas and Los Angeles, table service made its way to Washington, DC eventually. But it was completely unheard of in Montgomery County.
Relic on Fairmont Avenue was the first to introduce it. In the last year, The Parva has added it.
Next week, on May 10th, BlackFinn Bethesda will join them with the launch of "Thirsty Thursday."
In general, bottle or table service in Vegas, et al, can require an upfront fee, and mandatory purchases of x-number of bottles, based on the size of your party.
BlackFinn isn't going to make you do that. But it will be an exclusive, VIP experience, and you will not only get special deals, but also have the chance to win gift cards.
What makes it exclusive, is that the first 5 hosts - with at least 5 guests - (that's you, within the group you are going to BlackFinn with) who are present, and check-in at the sign-in table, get on the First Come-First Served Reservation List for table service.
What makes it VIP, is that if you are one of those 5 hosts Thursday nights at 9 PM, you and your guests will receive not only a reserved booth for the night, and a cocktail server waiting on that booth all night, but you are also going to get a FREE bottle of champagne to get the evening started.
You'll be able to take advantage of special deals, like $3 U-call-its and a FREE appetizer buffet from 9-11 PM. Then, at 11, all drinks will be $4 until midnight (if your party has signed in by 11:00). In addition, Bud Light bottles will be $2 from 9:00 to close.
Now, about those prizes. For every 10 guests you bring, you'll get a $10 gift card. But the host who brings the most guests will win a $100 gift card.
Please note that your guests will need to tell the hostess your first and last name to enter the VIP area, which is now the downstairs bar. Making the downstairs more private is the result of customer feedback, said Maddy Pinckert, BlackFinn's Promotions Manager. She noted it will make a buffet arrangement more accessible to VIP guests.
To sign up for table service, email mpinckert@BlackFinnBethesda.com.
This is a bit more modest of a table or bottle service program than you would find in Vegas or even some spots in DC. But, as I noted, BlackFinn's table service won't drain your bank account like those other clubs' pricing would.
This is a good start, and the growing popularity of such offerings is a positive for downtown Bethesda.
Bethesda had a very promising initial transformation. And we have quite a few great nightspots like BlackFinn. But we are at a crossroads here.
We need to not only recapture the momentum, but take this opportunity to definitively move ahead of other cities in the DC area.
Why can't Bethesda be the first city in Montgomery County to have a 50-story building? And then 75 and 100 after that. Who decided we would suddenly take a back seat to White Flint (please!) in building heights? I refuse to accept second best as a lifelong Bethesda resident, and so should you!
The same goes for the Bethesda nightlife scene. Adding table service and other VIP touches is a step in exactly the right direction.
Bethesda has the level of income to support at least one or more new, very swanky nightspots. I'm not aware of any plans, within residential buildings currently under construction, to add new nightclubs.
But with at least two upscale hotels nearing groundbreaking in downtown Bethesda (including a Westin on Wisconsin Avenue), why can't we have a venue like Pure or TAO in Vegas? Or something equivalent? Are we trying to be the premiere urban area for young people, or not? Sure, some people find bottle service, or rope line waits outside, pretentious. That's not a reason to aim low. I don't know if you've been to a place in DC that doesn't just aspire to Vegas, L.A. or South Beach, but matches it? I haven't. I'm not criticizing DC, because they are currently ahead of us. But what if Bethesda were to aim higher?
That's why I advocate for just such a spot here in Bethesda. Does it really cost that much, in the grand scheme of things, to hire a C-list, reality show celebrity to come in and host once a week? How about some more rooftop pool venues, Vegas style (TAO Beach, etc.)? Or are we content to play second banana to DC pool parties? I'm not.
So I for one applaud the new trend of table service, and if you've got a group that isn't planning to bar-hop all night, it's well worth giving Thirsty Thursday a try at BlackFinn. These sort of experiments will position BlackFinn well for the future of Bethesda nightlife.
BlackFinn Bethesda, 4901 Fairmont Avenue.
