Recession Proof: Return of the Happy Hour

On this St. Patrick's Day, the EconoMuse naturally has beers and bars on the brain (along with a touch of alliteration.) However, instead of celebrating the day by drinking in bars, she has chosen to write about drinking in them instead. For better or worse (probably better) she has been sidelined by a cold.

The EconoMuse loves chatting with fellow Muses, and recently a recurring theme has begun to emerge in these conversations. Apparently the early bird does get the worm--or at least the 2-for-1 cocktails with cheap appies. 

Now, most of Ms. E-Muse's fellow Muses had done their time on the college bar circuit (remember $2 pitchers at Tacos Tacos anyone?!), moved on to have families, and then graduated to fine dining with expensive wines and even-more-expensive babysitters. Maybe it's the economy, or maybe it's the imminent midlife crises, or maybe it is even the company she keeps, but whatever the root cause, Ms. E-Muse has noticed a spike in the number of friends who are hitting the bars again. However, with a few notable exceptions (and she won't name names), this time around going to a bar no longer means shutting down the joint, followed by late night pizza-by-the-slice. No, now her muses are opening the joint, getting out on the town early so they can still get stuff done afterwards. (Or at least the next morning!) And, they are rewarded for their get-up-and-go spirit with free stuff. As they should be.

Muse Clockwise (don't ask--its a semi-long story), first alerted Ms. E-Muse to this Happy Hour resurgence. Now let's get this straight: the EconoMuse is pretty sure the Happy Hour never went away. It's just her own demographic simply shifted out of it, and is only now shifting back into it. So when she says resurgence, she doesn't want to hear from all you people who never let it die in the first place. She knows who you are and what you've been doing all these years. 

Anyhow, Muse Clockwise pointed out that she and a friend, Muse Tracy, could go to a fancy-shmancy restaurant, have two drinks and an appetizer, enjoy a little camaraderie with fellow foodies at the bar, and spend an hour or two of their time and $15 each of their money. 

Now let's compare bang-for-buck at non-Happy Hour times:

"Can I start you out with something while you review the menu?"

"Yes, I would like a glass of Chardonnay."

Done. $15. 15 Minutes. 

Should have started with a glass of water while reviewing the menu--it would have bought a few more minutes of enjoyment for your $15! 

Tap water, that is.

Finding the Happy Hours

Recently, the EconoMuse set out to find the best nearby Happy Hours. She set to work at the Googles, and discovered that some drinkers had actually taken the time to put together lists of good local Happy Hours. Tingling with excitement, she quickly learned that these lists are not the golden ticket. They are only one piece of the puzzle, and as the economy has sunk deeper into that R thing, new deals are popping up right and left, while some restaurants are closing. It would take a hearty soul to keep all these lists current. Therefore, Ms. E-Muse turned to the standard review sites, such as Yelp, Chowhound (a favorite foodie site but not as exhaustive as Yelp on the Happy Hour front), and BooRah (sort of the Rotten Tomatoes of the restaurant world) to aid in her search. 

Best way to work the review sites? Just type in "Happy Hour" and the name of your town, click on the various restaurants or bars that are your speed, scan each quickly for key words (i.e. hours, offers, free spread of hors d'oeuvres, etc.) and then click directly on the restaurant/bar website to verify the details. If the restaurant doesn't advertise a Happy Hour on their home page, they usually will have a Events, Calendar, or Bar page that will have more info. But some don't, and you'll just have to make sure that the Yelp post that led you to their site was recent and applicable--some Yelpers generically refer to that time after work as Happy Hour whether or not there are freebies.

Site to watch: Unthirsty.com

The EconoMuse has concerns about Yelp and transparency, so she hates to rely on it too heavily, and she is always looking for alternatives.  Here is one site dedicated to Happy Houring that she is watching: Unthirsty.com. The catch here is it depends on a critical mass of user feedback to keep it current, and it isn't quite there for her region. However, all you lucky drinkers in NYC (Muse Susan? Muse Liz and Pete?) will find a lengthy list to peruse.  At any rate, check in on it from time to time, you might just find a good tip.

Tuesday: the New GNO

When the EconoMuse followed her own advice, a few trends emerged. First, Happy Hour no longer is an hour or two. Some bars start Happy Hour at noon and go all the way till dinner, for six hours of afternoon happiness. At others, Happy Hour has become Happy Night or a Happy Late Night. Check the hours. Sometimes the late bird actually gets the worm!

Second, the deepest discounts come earlier in the week. The aforementioned Happy Night? A Tuesday. This means you can sneak out with friends after the kids get home from soccer practice and everyone is fed. And you know what that means, right? Guilt-free, cheap cocktails!

Final Word: Don't Skimp the Tip!

Muse Maria, the original Depressionista, weighed in on this matter the other day. She is all about the bargain hunting, but she is not cheap. She told the EconoMuse to make sure she blogs this in bold: tip as if it were full price. Ms. E-Muse fully agrees. We should not have our e-musement at the expense of the waitstaff working hard for shrinking tips. Remember, people, now that the pendulum is swinging us back to the bars for a little inexpensive fun, don't start to think you are back in college. You're not. This time, drink responsibly!