Happy times are afoot, Chicago. Get ready to drink your money because as of last week, happy hour has returned to Illinois after a 26-year ban after Gov. Bruce Rauner signed off on a new law that allows bar and restaurant specials for a few hours a day.
While the specials are already popping up all over the city, Chicagoans typically aren’t rushing out the door to get to a great bar special. But in New York and Los Angeles, where happy hour is deeply rooted in weeknight socialization, 5 p.m. brings something a lot more exciting than just the end of the workday.
“It’s the best couple of hours of a social person’s life on a budget,” said Cameron Bass, a 31-year-old improv actor in L.A.
Typical happy hours in New York and L.A. last from 5 to 7 p.m., give or take an hour, when cocktail prices can range between about $6 to $8 ($4 to $5 for beer). Offering higher- and lower-priced periods for the same product is called “price discrimination” in the economics world, and from a bar owner’s perspective, it could be good for business, said Paula Worthington, senior lecturer at University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, where she teaches finance and cost-benefit analysis.
“Lowering drink prices during happy hours may be a way of raising sales, as consumers may increase the amount purchased on average, and/or more customers may walk in the door to be served,” she said in an email. “Often, these special periods are times of low demand, so this is a way of attracting more of those ‘off-peak’ customers into the establishment.”
Bass said he definitely spends more money and drinks more during happy hour. “It’s that trickery,” he said. “You think you’re saving so much money.”
But Taren Dolbashian of New York said she doesn’t mind because she feels like she’s getting more for her money and is even more inclined to buy her friends drinks during happy hour.
“New York is so expensive to do everything,” said Dolbashian, 30, who works in public relations for fashion brands. “Everyone’s always looking for a deal.”
Tiffany Tse, 30, a content manager for a startup called Beautycounter in L.A., doesn’t feel like she necessarily spends more money during happy hour. But her hours usually keep her at work longer, so when she does catch the tail end of happy hour, she ends up staying longer and paying regular drink prices.
“I think the benefit of happy hour specials is getting people who are on the fence to go in the first place,” she said. “If we stay out past the end of happy hour, which is almost always the case, then they’re getting business that they wouldn’t normally get.”
Worthington said it’s a possibility that Chicago could see drink prices rise if more people are hitting up happy hour and ditching regular hours altogether.
“If many customers end up moving away from the high-priced periods into the low-priced periods, then I think … non-happy hour prices could rise as bar owners try to make up the difference,” she said.
Our sources said they haven’t noticed prices increasing much over the years in New York or L.A., but Chicago’s drink prices aren’t as high as other major cities’. A cocktail in Chicago is about $11, but it’s about $13 in New York and $12 to $15 in L.A., depending on the area, our sources said.
Happy hour is a culture in New York and L.A.
“So [much] of my weekday socializing revolves around happy hour,” Tse said. “A friend will have a birthday on a weekday at happy hour, a professional networking mixer will revolve around happy hour, any social gathering on a weekday will focus on a place that offers good happy hour deals. It’s definitely a big part of everyone’s social life.”
Dolbashian said that people literally run out the door at work to get to happy hour in New York, especially on “summer Fridays,” when some offices encourage employees to leave around 1 or 2 p.m., meaning happy hour specials start even earlier.
Bass, who cohosts the podcast “Barton & Bass Present: Happy Hour,” in which guests review their favorite L.A. happy hour bars, said it’s the best time to meet people, especially for newcomers to the city. The vibe is much different, he said, because it’s a “stress reliever” for a few hours after the workday when friends and co-workers are meeting up, rather than a dating atmosphere with couples at tables.
He added that happy hour deals typically make pricey spots much more approachable, giving people the opportunity to try a bar or restaurant they wouldn’t otherwise go to.
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“You have in your head, ‘I can’t afford that place,’ but you go in during happy hour and look at the regular menu and [realize], ‘You know what, this isn’t bad. I can take my date here on Saturday. I like the atmosphere,’ ” he said. “It’s like test-driving a vehicle—there’s no commitment … and the servers expect that. They’re not staring at you to order something else.”
Even late-night happy hours are popping up all over New York and L.A. Dolbashian said she’s seen them last as late as 2 a.m.
Certain stipulations apply to the new happy hour law in Illinois, however. Bars and restaurants can discount drinks for up to four hours a day for a maximum of 15 hours a week, so long as they’re advertised a week in advance. No late-night deals, though—specials have to end by 10 p.m. Two-for-ones are also still out. But even before the restrictions, bars could offer all-day specials, and that won’t change.
What might change, though, are Chicagoans’ post-work drink plans. Happy hour is working for L.A. and New York, after all.
“I can’t imagine New York without happy hour,” Dolbashian said. “I can’t tell you how many emails I’m on about a happy hour on a Tuesday.”
Happy Hour wish list:
If no happy hour deal were too ridiculous, here’s what the RedEye staff would like to see. (Some undoubtedly won’t be popping up on menus anytime soon, but dreams, ya know?).
A free aspirin and Gatorade bottle to go with your Cesar’s killer margarita. –Josh Terry
Buy one get three free at Map Room. –Matt Pais
$2 old fashioneds at Billy Sunday. –Michelle Lopez
Pour negroni slushies from Parson’s Chicken & Fish on my head. –Jordan Schultz
Dollar you call it at The Violet Hour. –Morgan Olsen
An immediate bump to the top of the karaoke list with any drink purchase at Trader Todd’s. –Kristin Samuelson
$5 feeding tubes of Bom Bolla’s vermouth on tap. –Heather Schroering
Half-off In the Rocks at The Aviary, which would still be a $10 cocktail, FYI. –Lauren Chval
A Friday “[Bleep]in’ A My Week Sucked” special (a shot of Malort, a shot of Bacardi 151 and a basket of deep-fried Oreos) for $8 at Sully’s House. –Sean Ely
A shot of your choice at Sluggers anytime a Cubs player strikes out or hits a home run. –Rianne Coale
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