Got laughed at for bringing Catan to a bar in Portland last month and it changed my whole game night crew
I used to think party games were the only way to get non-gamers to the table until I watched three strangers at that bar beg to join our Catan game, so now I want to know which gateway games actually worked on your stubborn friends?
Brought Ticket to Ride to a dive bar in Austin last spring and two guys who swore they hated board games ended up staying till close. Something about a loud bar makes people way less scared of trying a game than sitting in someone's quiet living room.