Inklings is hosting a regular trivia night, giving San Franciscans a reason to actually leave their apartments midweek and exercise a few brain cells — no taxpayer dollars required. Just good questions, good coffee, and the kind of low-key community gathering that makes a neighborhood feel like a neighborhood.

We're fans of anything that brings people together without a government grant, a planning commission hearing, or a five-year environmental review. Trivia night at a local coffee shop is about as pure as community building gets: a small business opens its doors, people show up, fun is had. No bureaucracy necessary.

It's also worth noting that events like these are the lifeblood of San Francisco's independent coffee shops, which — like most small businesses in the city — navigate a gauntlet of permits, taxes, and regulations just to keep the lights on. Every time you show up to trivia night instead of ordering from a mega-chain app, you're casting a small vote for the local economy. And unlike actual votes in this city, this one produces immediate, tangible results (usually in the form of a latte).

So grab a few friends, brush up on your obscure knowledge, and swing by Inklings on Thursday. Worst case, you learn something. Best case, you win bragging rights and support a local business while you're at it.

That's what we'd call a fiscally responsible evening out.