Speaking of Lent…

There’s a restaurant at the end of my block run by a very young and enterprising Iranian fellow. I confess that when he opened his new place in the thick of the recession, I gravely doubted his business acumen. However he’s since pulled off the hat trick of launching a great casual dining spot, turning it into a runaway success, and starting another. All in one of the worst climates for food service in recent memory. So, the guy’s no slouch when it comes to running and marketing a restaurant.

On which note, I was walking past his new place the other day when I noticed a large banner waving from over the front door. It shouted “Make us Your 2010 Budweiser Lent Headquarters!” You don’t need to be Catholic, I don’t think, to recognize that Lent and the Superbowl don’t have a heck of a lot in common. But then I thought: hang on a second, maybe this guy is on to something. Maybe Lent — to say nothing of the Catholic Church in general — could stand a fun and friendly brand facelift. “Lent: Brought to You by Budweiser!” It sure would get more people to church on time. Are there any legs there, do you think?