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Even when it's quiet, it's loud.
If you're occupying a bar stool on an early weekday evening at McFadden's Restaurant And Saloon on Second Avenue downtown, it's still going to seem loud. The long, multi-segmented bar might be empty, but you're still going to hear the chattering of birds perched within its portico merged with a P.A. playing whatever the waitstaff deems worthy of helping them pass the time.
And late on a weekend evening? That's a completely different story.
McFadden's took over the former Market Street Brewery & Pub House space in July 2007, adding another location to the McFadden's brand, which originated in New York City. Simply put, it's a nightclub dressed up as an Irish pub, only far more bustling than any joint you'd ever find on the Emerald Isle.
Here's the common theme found in almost any big, multipurpose venue found on Second Avenue: It's designed to get as many people into the space as possible, amenities be hanged. Sure, the McFadden's folks have tried to put a face on their facility, but in their best possible world, people will be wall-to-wall in a block-long dance floor on the weekends, and the rest of the time open would just be gravy.
McFadden's can most easily be cast as a "see and be seen" party place, what with the mostly open floor plan and the cadre of big horseshoe-shaped booths in the main room. Smaller side rooms, such as one outfitted with traditional dartboards and leather couches, serve as quiet(er) gathering places.
McFadden's does suffer from a common ailment of this kind of multipurpose place: wear-and-tear. Everything is faultlessly clean, but the chairs, the stools, the booths, the bathroom facilities...all clearly have some mileage on 'em. Although you won't care (or even notice) when the weekend party is rollin'.
McFadden's has a simple, functional food menu, highlighting traditional pub fare, and the $5.99 midday specials (lunch portions of their most popular items like their Shepherd's Pie, fish and chips and all-you-can-eat Parthenon Pasta) should be a draw for the suit-and-tie (or at least polo shirt and Dockers) crowd that inhabits downtown during the daylight hours.
But again, serving that potential audience is clearly the secondary (or maybe even tertiary) goal. McFadden's is all about getting lots of people through the door, which they help accomplish by a variety of "gather your own crowd" giveaways and promotions designed to bring a bulk of folks into the joint. If you have even a modicum of a personal urban tribe, chances are good that one (or several) of your friends has won some sort of promo package from McFadden's and gotten the VIP treatment, even if it's only for one night.
And maybe, in the long run, that's what it's all about: Growing your own crowd and taking it with you from place to place, rather than counting on one place to gather your crowd for you.
McFadden's is never going to be the quaint, personal pub down the street (nor does it want to), but every once in a while, you get the chance to make it yours, if only for a little while.
Insider tip: If you're ever at McFadden's and silently wonder (or maybe even wonder aloud), "How did this get here?" head to the room at the far end, toward the river, and check out the corporate highlight/timeline/mural adorning the northernmost wall. You'll see important events such as the creation of the original McFadden's in NYC, the various years other locations emerged, notations for "2003: best happy hour - D.C." and "2004: Record # of girls on bar," topped off with the 2007 creation of the Nashville location. One can only guess what noteworthy elements the Music City location has added to the timelines of similar installations in other cities. The bricks here aren't talking.
