In some sort of organizational leadership workshop I went to years ago, we were introduced to the comfort-challenge matrix. It’s a graph with comfort on one axis and challenge on the other, making four quadrants: low-comfort-and-high-challenge, high comfort-and-low-challenge, etc. The idea is that the culture of wherever you are (or what you’re trying to build) is likely to fall into one of those quadrants, and ideally for a social organization, it’s somewhere in the high-comfort-and-high-challenge one. What that means is that the culture is truly welcoming but it is not stagnant, nor does it require a lot of participants with no real reward.

Thrilling stuff, am I right? I do find it interesting, at least as a way to describe a community. Free Parking likely falls more into the high-comfort-and-low-challenge space, but I hope close to the line with high-challenge, because the engagement of that is what keeps folks coming back, you know? Trying games you haven’t played before, diving deeper into strategy, even having spirited conversation with your friends! And as much as we are a bar and restaurant, we hope we’re bringing more richness to your life than just deep-fried foods!

In a world that is often painfully challenging, a space where you are welcomed as you are, where you don’t have to leave your brain at the door, where you can play difficult games over comfort food—this is a gift we offer you.

Alice C, board game librarian

Fundraiser for the Freestore/Foodbank

There are many members of our community faced with food insecurity on a daily basis. In this tumultuous atmosphere of SNAP benefits and other government programs being cut, so many are struggling to make ends meet. As a business focused on both food and fun, we are acutely aware of how hard things are.

In this season of giving and uncertainty, Free Parking is shining a light on the Freestore/Foodbank and inviting all our guests to join us in contributing to help our neighbors flourish. The Freestore/Foodbank in Cincinnati does truly heroic work, providing approximately 47.2 million meals annually. You can click that link or scan a QR codes in the bar to contribute.

ADDITIONALLY, Free Parking will be donating 10% of our sales from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26th (Drinksgiving, affectionately) to the Freestore/Foodbank, so come over and bring your family!

Play Watergate!

I promised some guests recently I’d finally learn to play this, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long! Watergate is a great two-player, tug-of-war and map-building game themed around the Watergate scandal. Don’t run away, it’s really fun and tense!

One player represents the press corps, trying to make connections between witness and the president. The other represents the Nixon administration, attempting to sabotage the press and hide evidence. It’s got a tight decision-making space where the players’ cards can be used for multiple things, often being removed from the game permanently after a powerful move.

While not a game for beginners, it’s not as complex as it might seem. Give it a try next time you’re in!

Try our French Toast for brunch!

Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-2pm, we’ve got a delicious brunch service with mimosas, chicken and waffle fries, and our tasty french toast. It’s served with fresh fruit, mascapone cheese, and syrup, a classic for a reason. And french toast could be the ideal fuel for your brain for a game of Watergate!

Order it as the Wild Card Combo and get unlimited mimosas.