There's at times a bit of confusion about the meetup, and how it works. We get a lot of visitors from out of town. So we thought it might help to write a bit of a FAQ.

Also, our meetups at California Billiards are not sponsored events. So, if there's food or drink to be had, it's because of the generosity of someone at the table. Sharing food and drink together is a great way to build community as well as friendships, and we really like to encourage that.

Our community is rather global and we often get visitors from other countries/regions. So, if there's obvious cultural tidbits, it's for our international guests.

Is there any etiquette surrounding food and drink?

Yup:

• Pitchers of ( beer|soda|water ) are for sharing help yourself
  
• Thank whoever bought the pitcher of ( beer|soda|water )
  
• Raising your glass to people sitting around you and saying "Cheers" is always fun.
  
• If the pitcher is empty, it's considered good form to offer to buy another pitcher. (This slows down around 9 or 10pm as people get ready to drive home)
  
• Buying food to share is considered good form. ( appetizers, pizza, onion rings, fries, etc...)
  
• Ordering food or a beverage for just yourself is okay
  
• Getting piss drunk == awkward.
  

I'm broke, and I can't afford to buy something. What do I do?

You're in good company. A large number of our attendees are college students, bootstrapers, visiting from another country touring Silicon Valley on $10 a day. Namely they're subsisting on Ramen noodles, baked beans and hot dogs. That's totally cool, and it's a normal part of being a Hacker/Founder.

If you're in any of these positions, please feel free to enjoy our hospitality, have a beer or beverage on us, and help yourself to the food and drink others have purchased.

Also, please don't feel like you have to donate to the meetup.

I'm (starving|parched). How do I order (food|drink)?

We have a waitress (usually Darcy) that's assigned to us. She'll come around pretty often to see if people are interested in something to eat or drink. There are green menu's lying around on each table that you can order from.

I don't drink, I'm fasting or I'm a vegetarian. What do I do?
No problems. Feel free to abstain. People are quite tolerant of differences like that in Silicon Valley.

Do you guys pay for the space?
Nope. So, the only money that California Billiards makes is off of people eating and playing pool. We try to tip really well, so they are really accommodating to us. They let us move tables around, let us monopolize the platform, they turn down the volume on the music for us.

What's good to eat?

The burgers are tasty. I'm a big fan of the tasty, tasty bacon on the club sandwich. I've heard good things about the grilled chicken sandwich. I'm not sure about vegetarian food recommendations. Suggestions form previous attendees are welcome. It's okay to tell the waitress, "I'm vegeratian, is there anything you'd recommend to eat?"

What's a good beer to order?
I'm generally fond of Blue Moon, Fat Tire, lagers and hefeweizens. It's generally hard to go wrong with anything on tap. It's always okay to ask the waitress, "What would you recommend?"

Ummm. I hate beer
No worries. I've heard the Pinot Noir (Red wine) is rather tasty. There are times that I enjoy sipping a scotch and other times, I'll have a pepsi.

How do I help newcomers?

Okay, that's not a frequently asked question, but we could really use your help with this. A lot of people coming to our meetups don't know anyone else. A surprising number of people show up from overseas or other parts of the country.

So, if you've been at one of our events before, and you see someone come up to the table looking kind of lost, we'd really appreciate it if you would help get them settled in:

• Help them get a name tag
  
• Offer them a (beverage|appetizer|water)
  
• Start a conversation with them, like "So what kind of stuff are you doing?" or "What's your background"
  
• Let them know how to order food if they are hungry (show them the menus and tell them the waitress will be around shortly