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Bars face the challenge of attracting customers during off-peak hours. Happy hour offers discounted drinks, free appetizers, and special promotions to attract professionals and shift workers. The origin of the term is unclear.
One of the biggest challenges any establishment faces is attracting customers, especially during the off-peak hours of the late afternoon and early evening. Some customers may stop by for a few after-work drinks before heading home, but many bars stay relatively empty until at least 8 or 9. To attract more customers during slower times, many bars offer discounted drinks and other special treats during a period of time known as happy hour.
Some happy hour events may only last 60 real minutes, but many start at 4 or 8 and can last until the regular crowds start arriving at 9 or 9pm. During this time, establishment owners may offer customers free or reduced-priced appetizers to accompany their discounted drinks. It wouldn’t be unusual to see a small buffet line set up with a variety of snacks during happy hour. Sometimes food is offered for free as a loss leader for more expensive drinks.
During happy hour, customers can also benefit from special promotions, such as penny beer night or a theme party. During this period a selected cocktail or mixed drink may be offered at a significant discount. The point of having these times is to attract professionals and shift workers looking for a place to unwind after work. Happy hour would make both the bar owner and customers happy, as business would pick up during a traditionally slow time period, and the discounted or free food offered with drinks provides a meal for customers.
No one is quite sure when or where the first official happy hour occurred. The earliest use in print is said to be a 1961 article describing politicians who may have to forego their usual “happy hour” to vote. This seems to indicate that the term was in popular use in the 1960s. Theater groups in Victorian England often used the phrase “happy hour” as a Cockney-style rhyme for “flowers”, but the origin of the phrase in that sense is unclear.
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