I’ve spent most of my adult life living in Massachusetts. Since I’ve spent most of my time here it never really seemed odd to me that we don’t have Happy Hours. Then my work took me to Dallas, Texas. Wow, they sure love. their Happy Hours. Then work took me briefly to Baltimore, Maryland. Wow, they sure love their Happy Hours too.
I stopped drinking a couple of years ago but in my vast experience during my drinking ages I can tell you this: some bars serve watered down juice and call it alcohol for that cheaper-than-normal money and some bars give you a whole lot more! I’ve run into many more in that first category than the second. But one thing that bonds together most Happy Hour bars is that they’re all pretty happy. The energy is electric and people seem genuinely happy to be throwin’ a couple back with the sun up.
So the question is: why no Happy Hour, Massachusetts?
Though you could probably come up with the reasoning, we’ll get. into that here. Below I will give you the 9 states that have banned Happy Hour. I’ll let you know in what year Happy Hour was outlawed in each state and each state’s reasoning for making Happy Hours illegal there.
First, some Happy Hour by the numbers:
2.5 – number of hours the average patron spends at a Happy Hour.
26 – the percent extra a bar earns during Happy Hour
55 – percent of Americans who have attended a “virtual Happy Hour” (oh COVID!)
Most Happy Hours happen on Fridays and the most common hours are 4-7p or 5-8p. The biggest reason given by patrons for going to a Happy Hour is. discounted food.
Now let’s get into the UnHappy Eight – the 9 States Where Happy Hours Are Banned (and why each state banned them):
