John Wenzell knew he wanted to do something special for his 30th birthday, but he was in a bit of a predicament. He was eyeing a night out on Buford Highway, and was hoping to spend it with a large group of friends. He knew the well-known spots could get crowded, and wanted to make two or three stops.
So Wenzell, a consultant who lives near Decatur, decided to take a truly hit-or-miss approach: Posting on the internet and asking for recommendations.
His platform of choice was Reddit, which can have a tendency for sometimes being snarky and toxic. But Wenzell was surprised when his post in the Atlanta subreddit garnered more than two dozen replies offering sincere and useful dining suggestions.
Credit: Screenshot via Reddit
Credit: Screenshot via Reddit
“I wasn't expecting much to come out of this,” Wenzell, who turned 30 on Sunday, said in an interview. “Every one of them was truly trying to help me.”
The suggestions were varied, but several people recommended the food court at Atlanta Chinatown Mall and Han IL Kwan. The help from strangers paid off for Wenzell, who brought his group of eight friends to three different stops along the storied boulevard known for its authentic international cuisine.
» AJC Fall Dining Guide 2018: Dining along Buford Highway
They started off their Saturday night at the food court, which offers multiple options for hungry eaters. Wenzell’s crew had lo mein, soup dumplings, steamed dumplings and fried dumplings.
“I like dumplings,” Wenzell wrote on Reddit.
From there, they went to Han IL Kwan, a Korean BBQ joint located at 5458 Buford Hwy. Wenzell knew to call ahead, thanks to a tip from Reddit.
The group had a massive spread of meat and small vegetable plates, highlighted by what Wenzell described as “really great” service.
» MORE COVERAGE: Buford Highway Dining Guide
» RELATED: Eating late at night on Buford Highway
The birthday celebration wrapped up with three hours of singing and partying at Happy Karaoke.
“It was a lot of fun,” Wenzell said, “and now I'm definitely going to go on Reddit some more.”
His second post in the Atlanta subreddit recapping the evening got even more attention than the initial call-out, with more than 900 up-votes as of Thursday morning.
He thanked the internet strangers for their recommendations, prompting several commenters to jokingly ask if they could join his friend group.
The responses were a shock for Wenzell, who described himself as a “lurker” on the Atlanta subreddit who rarely had popular posts.
“I had some great ‘Game of Thrones’ memes and no one cared,” he said.
Now, the posts serve as mini-dining guides for groups on Buford Highway
“I was expecting a fraction of my replies on both of them,” Wenzell said. “It was special.”
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