Wipe the playing field. Get ready for “Two-bit Table Soccer,” the always entertaining, sometimes inappropriate time killer. All that’s required to enjoy this distraction is a slow server at the restaurant of choice, two players, one quarter, and a flat, smooth table.
The rules are few and straightforward: You get two pushes with your index finger per turn to move the quarter across the table surface. The goal is to get a radius of the coin to slide to rest over the edge of the opposite (opponent’s) side of the table. Each score counts as one point, or if the goal is scored on the first push (the long shot), it counts as two points. The Two-bit Table Soccer player with the most points before the server sets down the meals and ruins the playing field, wins.
For rookies, don’t be surprised to attract the curiosity of other patrons. The good cheer of the game can be infectious. That said, depending on the stuffiness of the dining establishment, don’t laugh too loud or slap the quarter back down on the tabletop too hard after catching it going off the edge.
Be a good sport and ambassador for Two-bit Table Soccer and help gain a foot-hold in restaurants and bars across the country.
I remember playing this for hours on the breading table when I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken.