TED'S MONTANA GRILL
By Duncan
Today the BGNO lunch bunch met at Ted’s Montana Grill. I had to ask, what does BNGO stand for?
I was told this group was founded on principles, by a loose group of women who graduated from Pike High School and wanted to get together for lunch. It started out as GNO, which means Girl's Night Out.
I better explain that the women who came to this group were not “loose.” You know, “loose” in the sense of being “loose.” All of them were good Christian women, upstanding citizens, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
At least, that was what I was told. The lunch was designed for any woman from any Pike graduating class or friend of a woman who might want to have lunch.
Then, one day an evil man asked if he could join the GNO. A vote was taken to relax the regulations and expand from GNO to BGNO. (Boys Girls Night Out.) I still don’t understand why they call it “Night Out.” They only go to lunch during the day.
The appealing concept of the BGNO is they go to a different restaurant each month. I, too, liked that idea. Have lunch with a group of people that I might get to know and share lunch at a different restaurant each month. What a great idea.
For the month of October, lunch starts at 1:00 PM to avoid the lunch crowds and make it easier to get a table for a group. As I approached Ted’s Montana Grill, I noticed the parking lot was not very full of cars.
I know it's 1:00 in the afternoon, but Ted’s looks a little slow.
I approached the table and thought to myself. Why is the restaurant empty?
The group is small today, only nine people including myself. Normally BGNO has about 12-15 people at a gathering. Again, to myself, I thought, is it because the cost of a meal at Ted’s is a little more expensive?
Photo Credit: Brent Humphreys.
Ted’s Montana Grill as most of you know is a brain child of Ted Turner. He needs some place to sell his Bison meat. What better way than to open a bunch of restaurants.
Turner (who founded television channels TNT, TBS, and CNN).
Sold his television interests in 1996 to Time Warner for $7.3 billion in stock. (Not Cash) Look out now!!!
We who play the stock market realize even the high and mighty with big bucks can take a loss in the stock market. Time Warner decided to buy AOL five years later, in 2001, causing Time Warner Stock to drop like a rock. Still holding his stock in Time Warner, Ted is said to have lost seven or eight billion dollars by holding all of his shares in Time Warner. It’s called having all your eggs in one basket. A major no-no when playing the stock market game. Way to go, Ted!
Ted made some other mistakes, too. Jane Fonda ring a bell?
Ted is still the second-largest private landowner in the country. Turner Enterprises also manages over 45,000 Bison across the various ranches. He owns 2.1 million acres and still has an estimated net worth of $2.4 billion. Don’t worry too much about Ted.
Our waiter came to the table, and I asked his name. He said his name was “Scott.” I said, “I like that name, I named my one and only son, Scott.”
With a heavy Scottish accent, I asked Scott if he was “Scottish?”
Photo credit: Duncan
“No, I’m Finnish, English, and a little bit Indian. I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (The UP), and my family tells me I have a very small amount of Potawatomi running through my veins.”
Photo credit: Scott, our waiter at Ted Montana Grill - “BGNO LUNCH”
Ruthie Downey, Steve Winegardner, John Kissling, Mrs. Kissling, Judy Britton Ong, Holly Hubertz Rawls, Mr. Rawls, Steve Duncan, Russ Metzler.
I ordered a hamburger with blue cheese, bacon, and fixings. I also ordered onion rings. The rings come with the sandwich. Yes, I had my choice of BEEF or BISON meat. I chose BEEF. BISON would have added an additional two dollars to the meal. I’m Scottish, too.
I often get asked this question: How much does it cost to eat at Ted’s Montana Grill.
The Sandwich and rings came to $17.50. I requested water to drink. So, with an Indiana Sales tax of 7%, the meal came to $19.08. That does not include the 20% tip.
As we were leaving yesterday, Scott (our waiter) thanked us for coming into Ted’s. I, of course, had to be a wise guy and said,
“See you next time, Tonto!”
