Scouts Honor

Just as our new year’s resolutions to go to the gym and eat healthy fade into distant memory we enter Girl Scout Cookie season. That amazing time of year where neighbors and co-workers swindle you into buying boxes upon boxes of sinful delight. While on the treadmill the other evening (that’s right I’m still going on my resolution) I saw a news piece on one of my local favorites Hi-Lo Diner. They are bringing back their Girl Scout Cookie menu. Bringing back? I didn’t even know it had gone away, let alone existed in the first place! I’m always looking for an excuse to hit up Hi-Lo and this seemed like the perfect one.

The following Monday my sister asked to grab lunch with me and I knew this was my chance. We braved the winter storm and headed over to the hippest dining car you have ever seen for some major munchin’. My sister had never been and I had big plans to order a little bit of everything so she could get the full experience. She was a little embarrassed when I asked if we could move to a bigger table after we had been seated at a two-person table, but hey, I needed the space!

I have to say Hi-Lo is the place I always recommend, if their fun space and killer food weren’t enough, I have never seen such a happy and friendly staff. Every employee I have ever encountered gives the best service and seems to genuinely enjoy their job. Our waitress was totally on board when I rattled off my long order and requested that everything comes out together because you gotta have a full table for the perfect photo…again my sister was embarrassed.

As we waited for our food I filled my sister in on Hi-Lo’s Girl Scout Cookie Competition. This year when it came time to order their Girl Scout cookies, the staff at Hi-Lo couldn’t remember who they had gone through the previous year. They then decided why not open it up to all Girl Scout Troops in the surrounding area? Asking Girl Scouts to send in a funny or clever submission in order to win the rights to this big-time order. Hi-Lo manager Rebekah Cook said, “We had hundreds of girls, 60 troops, people from Wisconsin and all over the Twin Cities reached out, our email even reached its maximum limit.” The submissions to sell came as letters, videos, skits, raps, songs. Realizing that this decision would be too difficult to make on their own so Hi-Lo opened the vote up to the public, eventually choosing Troop 56765 who did a Jimmy Fallon & Ellen Skit. I have to say I was so impressed with the originality and connection to the community that Hi-Lo was showing that I couldn’t sing their praises enough.

Just as I was finishing telling my sister about the concept our food was delivered and what ensued over the next hour was every adult’s dream, a chance to return to the childhood simplicity where you want cookies for every meal. And guess what Hi-Lo delivered, and then some.