==== The Official BHON FAQ ==== Last Updated: March 1, 1999 Q: What is BHON? A: If you must ask, you obviously arn't very observant? But to answer your question, BHON are the BAR HOPPERS Of NIAGARA. A group whose sole goal is to find the ultimate chicken wing and best overall wing establishment in the Southern Ontario / Western New York area. Q: When was BHON established? A: Please see the BHON History Page. Q: How does BHON go about choosing establishments for their offical meetings? What does it take to qualify? A: Any bar/restaurant/tavern in the above mentioned geographical area qualifies as a potential BHON spot. Sites are chosen arbitrarily by a different member of the BHON Association every other week. Q: When does BHON hold its meetings? A: Alternating Thursday nights, 9:00pm unless otherwise advertised on the wing page. Q: How do I become a member of BHON? A: Currently, new BHON members must be invited by an existing member. Please see the BHON members page for membership information. Q: Why do you guys do this? A1: Because we like chicken wings. A2: Because we like beer. A3: Because we like to get out of the house on thursday nights. A4: Because we have stressful jobs that require these vices in order to prevent a "postal" incident. A5: All of the above. Q: How is the Overall Wingage Score determined? Q: What does it take to earn a high BHON rating? Q: Why did my bar/tavern score so poorly? Q: How does BHON rate establishments? A: The BHON rating system is based on many factors. The original scale used was a simple 5-wing rating. However, as the organization grew, the 5-wing scale was abandoned in favour of the current DBSP rating system. The percentage given is a weighted average obtained from the following key items: WING SIZE: /10 - Big, meaty wings will yield a high score in this category, while puny hummingbird wings definately will not! Nuff-said! WING TASTE: /10 - A highly subjective category! Some members of BHON prefer a sweeter barbecue taste, while others prefer a tangy, spicy taste. A wing that appeases the majority of the crowd will get the points here. Points are also awarded for unique sauce - is it just ketchup and frank's hot sauce, or was there some effort put into it? SAF (Sauce Adhesion Factor): /10 - Again a subjective category. Some members of BHON prefer a drier, crispier wing, while others prefer them saucy. However, too little sauce yields a bland, desert-storm style wing, while too much yields a slimy, soggy wing. Kept between these extremes, and general consensus says you'll be ok. WING PRICE: /10 - Here's where many establishments also suffer...their wings are just too damned expensive! I mean come on...Wings are a snack food. BHON has witnessed wings that were up to $1.00 apiece, and when you're ordering them 100 at a time, it makes for a costly night! Combine this with expensive beer, and we generally don't stick around long. WING VALUE: /10 - This rating is determined by weighing the wing price against the wing size and quality. In all fairness, places may advertise cheap wings, but if they are puny and unappealing, there's not much value! Conversely, some places might have costlier wings, that are big and tasty. BHON will always choose quality over price, provided the price is not too outlandish! WING HEAT: /10 - A subjective rating based on how hot those hot wings are! Ideally hot wings should have a nice kick that makes you stand up and take notice, without being painful! If you can't finish the tray because your friggin face is melting off, they were definately too hot! (see also ROFAR) ROFAR (Ring of Fire Alarm Rating): /5 - This rating does not get averaged into the DBSP score. It is given to wings that had a noticable afterburner effect the following day. (You know what we mean!) 0 = No Problem 5 = Shittin' razor blades! EVL (Environmental Flatulence Level): /5 - As with the ROFAR rating, the EVL score was introduced as an indicator of wings that produce highly combustible gases. A level 5 means clear the building and stay away from open flame. THE BAR: ATMOSPHERE: /10 - Points given for an inviting, cozy, comfortable environment and for unique decor features: patio, pool table, dart boards, couches, fireplace etc. Points deducted for: flourescent lighting, plastic lawn furniture, plastic beer cups, ugly decor and excessively loud/crappy music. WAITER/WAITRESS: /10 - (Also known as the "Francis" factor) We're looking for cool people here. Someone who'll take the time to insult and abuse us, while bringing us beer and wings in a timely fashion. A personality is the key here! Many bars would have scored much lower if it were not for the attitude of the server! TAVAR (T+A Value Added Resource): *BONUS* - Perhaps not the most politically correct category, therefore is only used where it will improve the overall score. To be fair, an establishment's environment can be improved sigificantly by a high TAVAR. (Or at least it tends to distract us from other negative environmental factors ;) BEER QUALITY: /10 - A variety of premium beers on tap earns a high score in this category. At the very minimum, an prospective wingery should at least have Rickerd's Red (The official BHON beer) or an equivalent dark beer on tap. If we wanted water... BEER PRICE: /10 - No pitchers? No draft? Bottles only? These will result in a poor beer price score. OVERALL BHON EXPERIENCE: - Often, at the end of a BHON meeting, it becomes too difficult to do the math due to excessive beer and wing consuption...therefore, it is often necessary to assign an arbitrary score based on the above. A general group concensus is used to determine the overall score based generally on whether everyone had a good time. Q: How do I recognize a BHON meeting? Do you call ahead or pre-book? A: As a general rule BHON does not advertise its meetings, other than posting them here. We prefer to remain anonymous, and simply arrive unannounced, order some beer, some wings, and sit and talk. Q: I am a bar owner and my site is reviewed on your page. I am unhappy with your rating! A: Drop us a line and let us know. We do revisit most places, and will happily re-evaluate your location at some future time.