Business Beat: Angela Careccia of Let's Get Quizzical Trivia

Angela Careccia knows trivia.

For the past five years the 36-year-old from East Patchogue who owns Let's Get Quizzical Trivia has been running trivia game nights at local pubs and now organizes events at four local bars every week, from Blue Point to Sayville, Patchogue to Port Jefferson. Her most recent local game night addition is taking place at the Portly Villager in Sayville.

But her trivia game business isn't just limited to bars as Careccia organizes and operates trivia events for companies and even private parties.

It all started with an innocuous conversation with the owner of Sage Café in Blue Point during which Careccia shared that she had enjoyed trivia events while visiting England's taverns. Sage's owner loved the idea, asked her to organize one and even bought her a trivia book to get motivated.

The rest, as they say, is history. Here’s more insight on how Let's Get Quizzical Trivia all began.

Patch: When and how did you come up with this game business concept?

I started trivia nights in 2008 at the Sage Cafe in Blue Point. I used to eat dinner at the Sage every Monday night. It was usually pretty quiet so I became friendly with the bartender Dan and the owner Jonathon, we talked about when I had visited England and played pub quizzes at the bars there. Pub quizzes are very popular in the U.K. but it wasn't something that I ever really saw here in the states. Jonathon loved the idea and bought me my first trivia book to get started. I came up with my own format, questions and rules of play and have just tweaked it a little over the years. Who would have thought that trivia nights at the Sage would still be going strong in its fifth year and that I would be hosting trivia at four different bars a week??

Patch: What is something about trivia quiz night events that most people don't realize (maybe they think it's too competitive, etc..)

Most people might think that trivia nights are intimidating because they might be too hard or really competitive, and although there is some friendly competition and a few tough questions this is far from the truth. Trivia nights are fun and social and are a great way to meet new people. It gets you thinking and discussing and it is fun to see what things you can remember and fun to learn some new things too. The topics and questions are all general knowledge and the teams enjoy debating and discussing the questions in between the rounds Trivia night starts between 7:30 and 8 (depending on the bar) so players make it a fun night out and enjoy a nice dinner and some drinks. It's even great for a date night!!

Patch: How do you come up with the trivia and do you focus on certain topics? 

I come up with all of the questions on my own, either in my head, from books, Internet, watching TV or just about anywhere.The topics of the questions can be anything from geography, history, sports, science, pop culture, literature and much more. I also do audio clips for TV, movie and music categories. There are four rounds of questions, 10 questions in a round with a bonus question at the end of each round. Players pay $5 per person to play. Teams can be one to four people. The average trivia night lasts for about two hours, so it isn't a late night out on a work night either. The first and second place teams win the cash that went into the pot from the $5 entry fee, which can sometimes reach up to more than $300.

Patch: What are you future expansion ideas?

Of course we are always excited about the opportunity for more establishments in the Suffolk County area and are currently looking into towns further east and north as well. We also host private trivia events. People can rent us to host a private trivia night for their birthday parties, anniversary parties, club event, even baby and bridal showers. We have also done corporate trivia events as it is a good team building exercise for the employees. All private trivia events are customized to the client and their event. Trivia nights have become very popular on Long Island in the past five years and I’m excited to see what the next five years bring.

Between the time this interview was given and posted a new trivia game night was on the books and is starting tonight on the North Shore, at C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson!! Sign-ups start at 7:00 - quiz starts at 7:30.

Full Weekly Schedule

Monday - Sage Cafe in Blue Point – Sign ups start at 7:30 – quiz at 8:00
Tuesday - C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson at 7:00pm
Wednesday - The Portly Villager in Sayville – Sign ups start at 8:00 – quiz at 8:30
Thursday - The Village Idiot Pub – Patchogue – Sign ups start at 7:30 p.m.

In Business Beat, Patch will talk to local businesses in the Patchogue and Medford area of new and established places in the area. Want to be featured? Email michael@patch.com.

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