Restaurant happy hours generally run from 3 or 4 to 6 p.m. Are those hours really feasible for most working people? —Craig F., St. Louis
One of the biggest challenges that restaurant owners face is how to drive additional sales during non-peak hours. The sign in the window says OPEN, yet there are no “butts in the seats.”
The concept of happy hour—discounted drinks and/or food for a few specified hours—is one solution to the problem, and an effective one, especially when the deals are really tempting. It’s now commonplace to find alcoholic beverages (as well as standard-size appetizers) offered for as much as half-price during happy hour.
Yes, it’s true that the workforce in this country is usually ocupado in the late afternoon. And yes, discounted goodies are indeed a temptation to skip out of work early. But noshing on nachos at 3:30 p.m. is just not realistic for most folks. Many workers love taking advantage of a great happy-hour deal—they just never seem to arrive in time to take advantage.
Restaurant owners typically cap happy hours when they do for several reasons:
1. Liability: A longer happy hour potentially opens the door for more intoxication, which potentially increases a restaurant's liability.
2. Lost Revenue: Restaurant owners don't want to compete with full-paying dinner customers who begin to arrive around 6 p.m., especially in the wintertime. There's no reason to tempt customers with discounted food when they’re prepared to pay full price.
Nonetheless, restaurants that do extend their happy hours until 6:30 or 7 p.m.—like The Block (both locations) and Fleming’s—generate a ton of additional sales in a short amount of time, sales that still generate a profit. (The old adage that “a fast nickel is better than a slow dime” is certainly á propos here.
Cheers to a happy hour that ends at 7 p.m.
