Happy Hour

I have never understood the phenomenon of happy hour. Every restaurant or bar I visit seems to put an emphasis on drawing customers in for happy hour. Most of the time there are free drinks, or half-price drinks, for those who will visit an establishment during certain hours. These hours are always earlier in the day, usually around four, five, or six p.m. I guess what I don’t understand is why so many people would want to drink so early in the day, when perhaps they should be home with their families.

Maybe happy hour was designed more for the young, single person. I do know that on occasion my husband goes to happy hour, but he has stopped going out so much at night. In actuality, this means that he is drinking less, so I really have nothing to complain about. Even though I thought happy hour was more for the younger crowd, he tells me that most of the people he sees there are older working people. Perhaps this is because many do not want a drink at night any longer, but still want to enjoy drinks with friends once in a while.

Happy hour might be the perfect place to have if you drinks with friends. Many times the bar will serve food at half-price during these hours. If you see someone you have not spoken to on a while, this may be the perfect time to catch up. Though I rarely go anywhere for happy hour, I think I would prefer that to a night in the bar. Perhaps I’m just too old now, but when I go to a bar at night I feel out of place, and quite frankly, bored out of my mind. I notice that most of the crowd is much younger than me, so perhaps I am not the only one that feels this way.

I don’t know when happy hour began, but it is something that has been around for a long time. A lot of people like to socialize over a drink or two, but don’t want to end up drunk. Happy hour might even be a great time to conduct business, because the atmosphere is casual and relaxed. Perhaps if you had to have a very important discussion, everyone might be more relaxed within the environment of happy hour, rather than in a stark, stuffy boardroom. Just remember, take easy on the drinks, or your potential business partner may be turned off completely.