Restaurant icebreaker: the tablecloth has a table-size crossword puzzle on it, with two-inch squares. Can be shared by any person at the table. Tablecloth to be smooth surface with erasable markers or crayons available. The clues can be printed in the adjacent squares instead of having "across" and "down" clue lists and numbers.(see link) (This is sometimes done in puzzle books).

If restaurant had just a few different puzzles, even regular customers could get a new puzzle by sitting at a different table. Wait staff can wipe clean when getting table ready for new people.

But should not have irritating clue-ads for the restaurant.

Maybe use the same large crosswords on the wall in places where people often have to wait such as airports, or office waiting rooms.
-- flypaper, Sep 29 2003

Big crossword fragment http://home.earthli...es/bigcrossword.gif
My paste-up has 1-3/8 in squares, 15 x 15, about 2 ft square. [flypaper, Oct 04 2004, last modified Aug 07 2009]

There used to be a restaurant near where I lived that put big sheets of plain brown paper on the tables. In the center of the table was a can of crayons, and people were encouraged to draw while they waited for their food. The staff put the best drawings up on the walls. It was quite neat.

Anyway, I think you should use printed puzzles on paper, instead of having these as part of the table surface.
-- waugsqueke, Sep 29 2003


it would probably be a conversation killer as group crosswords can get very competitive. real game players would spill food onto vital squares.

waugs, its not on the table - its on the cloth.
-- po, Sep 29 2003


Finish the puzzle before your order arrives - and it's free!
-- phundug, Sep 29 2003


If the point is to break the ice, it would be good to incorporate a lazy susan element for multi-player ease. Not sure how this would work with people getting one another's meal in front of them as the thing turned.
-- snarfyguy, Sep 29 2003


//paper on the tables...can of crayons//
Romano's Macaroni Grill (an Italian restaurant chain in the US) does that.
-- krelnik, Sep 29 2003


do they provide a crossword?

PizzaHut here provide paper and crayons for kids.
-- po, Sep 29 2003


No, but you are free to draw one yourself if you wish.
-- krelnik, Sep 29 2003


I was taken to a place that did what [waugs] described in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati. Well, I guess they need something to while away the hours. The plus side was that I got the whole party's crayons to take home for the kids - there were around 20 in the party!
-- PeterSilly, Sep 29 2003


I like this idea. I love crosswords and I especially like doing them collaboratively. +

Hey, I want to go to one of those draw on the tablecloth restaurants. Do you think they'd let me bring my markers or would they charge me a "cappage" fee?
-- bristolz, Sep 29 2003


I like it. My wife and I do crossword puzzles together, sort of. She works on them until she gets stuck and then dumps them on me to finish.

Heh, if I get to keep the tablecloth, [bristolz], I'll pay the cappage fee and buy dinner.
-- half, Sep 29 2003


Love this idea, they should be cryptics tho. Nothing worse than wasting your time with '5 down: feline (3)'....

should be more like '9 across: petes are encircled buy (5)'....
-- rumbletumbler, Dec 10 2003



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