The dancer-friendly Post Bar has already lived up to its slogan: "Be here by 9 or wait in line."

It began with the downtown original -- a graffiti-strewn, character-filled watering hole long popular with Red Wings fans and players. Now there are six satellites in the suburbs, turning the Post into the Motown equivalent of the Hard Rock Cafe. Each has the same familiar logo (an elephant holding a post in its trunk) and attracts the same good-looking patrons. You can even buy a T-shirt to impress your friends.

This new Post in Novi opened about six months ago, on Market Street, near BD’s Mongolian BBQ and Irish Pub Gus O’Connor’s. This Post, by far, is the place to be and be seen in Novi. The 10,000-foot giant can fit into any person’s personality. Do you want to dance? They have it. Do you want to sit outside? You can. Do you want to see good-looking people? They are everywhere. Roughly 950 people pack the Post every weekend and it is the place to be in Novi.

ATMOSPHERE: Until about 9 p.m., the Post offers a relaxed restaurant setting. After that -- weekends especially -- expect a packed dance floor, screamed conversations, seeing and being seen. Dancing means rocking back and forth with a drink in hand, trying desperately to hold it aloft while someone squeezes past you en route to the bar.

DECOR: The building was transformed from an upscale fruit market, but you wouldn’t notice upon entrance. The area closest to Gus O’Connor’s is the dance room. Murals line the walls, over 6 bartenders man the bar, and the dance floor boasts a giant ledge (reminiscent of old school Post Bar days) and an even bigger DJ booth. Towards the back is the greenhouse. About 400 people can pack this area and again, 6 bartenders have to man the giant oval shaped bar. In the far back there is an area to seat about 150 people in a quiet setting.

CROWD: On a Saturday night, expect 5 or 6 bachelorette parties, 5-6 birthday parties and about 1000 of your closest friends. All night long, people are dancing their way from one end to another and if you want to see the best looking people in town, this is the pace to be. The regulars are in full force and there is always your fair share of radio/TV personalities, professional athletes, and the occasional rock star.

DRESS: This isn’t your typical “dress to impress” nightclub, everyone is generally comfortable. The guys are typically in their dress shirts untucked with faded jeans and girls are dressed in just about anything with no worries in the world.

MUSIC: If you like variety, you will love the Post. This is probably the most eclectic mix and wide range of music imaginable. You will hear 80’s, then Top 40 and hip hop, followed by Bon Jovi and Def Leopard, followed by some techno and last but not least, the Post Classic, Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’. The amazing thing is that is actually all fits together! When you have almost 1,000 people in one place, it is really hard to please everyone, but young or old, you will hear something you like.

FOOD AND DRINK: The kitchen offers pasta jambalaya, specialty salads and gourmet pizzas cooked in a wood-burning brick oven. Most entrees are about $10. The full menu is available until 10 p.m., pizzas until 1 a.m. The drink list caters to the beer-and-a-shot crowd and they have monthly happy hour pricing. Martinis can be ordered, but if the bar is packed, expect a funny look from the bartenders who are looking at 4 deep lines around the bar.

PICK-UP POTENTIAL: If you want to meet someone, the Post boasts one of the friendliest crowds in the Detroit area. As usual, if you act normal and be yourself, you will be amazed at the people you can meet. The Post Novi could easily become the singles “place to be” for this surprisingly bar-barren part of Novi.

COVER: $3 cover after 9 p.m on Thursday through Saturday for 21 and older.

PARKING: There are two major parking lots off Grand River, since Local Color Brewery has closed; there are more than enough spots to park.

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.