Back in April, I shared the details of a crazy promotion offered by Germantown watering hole Mother’s Ruin. Their Mother’s Day Challenge invited loyal diners and drinkers to attempt to visit at least three of the Mother’s Ruin locations in New York City, Nashville, Chicago and Austin in the course of one business day (and night) for the chance to win one free beer per visit for life. If you made it to all four or got a Mother’s Ruin logo tattoo somewhere on your body, the small chain promised to up the ante to a free cocktail instead.
Just to sweeten the pot, I offered to buy lunch for any local who completed the challenge and wanted to share the story.
Mother’s Ruin has a Mother's Day challenge for you
Well, readers, I’m a man of my word, and Hunter Munroe took me up on the offer. The young sales professional has lived in Nashville for only about three years, but Mother’s (as devotees often refer to it) has quickly become his “third place.” More accurately, it’s his second place, because he works from home and can walk to the bar in about 10 minutes from his abode.
“When you’re new in a town,” he shares over our lunch, “you want to find a sense of community. I found it here.
“I know all the bartenders by name, and they all know my drink. It’s got a diverse crowd of regulars, and they offer heavy pours! It’s not overly rowdy or pretentious. It’s a safe place, somewhere between a college dive bar and a cocktail lounge.”
I definitely understand the attraction. My Mother’s was the Sportsman’s Grille in Hillsboro Village — I used to joke that I should just forward my mail there. I didn’t always know if I would make it home during the week, but I knew I’d always make it to the Grille!
It turns out Hunter was not alone in his attempt to visit at least a trio of Mother’s in one day. Indeed, more than 250 people accomplished the Herculean task on Mother’s Day 2025, including one family from Seattle who brought their infant child along. Management was so impressed that they promised to mail the kid a Black Card (free cocktails!) in 20 years.
Hunter started his quest in Austin, and he actually stopped in to check out the newest location the night before the challenge officially began. Mother’s Ruin started a WhatsApp chat group where he could make plans and keep up with other participants. He told me he made a couple dozen new friends along the way on Sunday, which doesn’t surprise me — Hunter is definitely an amiable chap.
He officially kicked off the challenge on Sunday morning with a couple of Pickle Jacks at the Austin Mother’s. (Jack Daniel’s was one of the national sponsors, but Southwest Airlines should have joined in, because all four cities are SW destinations; Hunter said he saw at least 10 other passengers on board wearing Mother’s Ruin shirts on each leg of his trip.) He enjoyed the celebratory atmosphere in Austin along with about 50 other participants checking in, but time was of the essence. After his breakfast drinks, he left the crowded bar that had swelled to at least 100 patrons and caught a morning flight to Chicago.
Hunter Munroe with his buddy who did not make the trip, but is a regular at the dog-friendly bar
He had previously visited the Chicago location, so he knew exactly where he was headed. Since Hunter had plenty of time before his 8:15 p.m. flight home, he met some Chicago friends and enjoyed his time in Avondale. But he knew that everything was going to have to work perfectly to pull off the trifecta.
His flight into BNA was not slated to arrive until 10:15 p.m., but fortunately, Mother’s stays open until 2 a.m. every day of the year. He walked through the door of his home bar with plenty of time to spare, and to celebrate.
“This was a party Sunday night!” he recalls. “Lots of people chose Nashville to finish at, and we had a blast! I was having fun along the way, but all day I just wanted to be home and be at my bar.” He met at least a dozen more people from Nashville he hadn’t known before, but now they are comrades in arms.
Literally “in arms” for some of them, because Hunter went ahead and got the tattoo before starting his quest, so the first cocktail is on the house for him forever.
Even though he’s already won the prize, this might not be his final challenge.
“I could easily see this becoming an annual pilgrimage,” he says. “When you’re an adult, home is very arbitrary. This is my place!”
