Happy Hour. equable the name sound...

Happy Hour. equable the name sounds great. Who wouldn't want to be happy for an hour? Noted victuals & beverage writer John Mariani, in "The Dictionary of American pabulum and Drink," describes it as "the period of common or two hours before dinner when clan enjoy a cocktail or other beverage." Mariani goe upon to note that since the 1960 the confine has been used by bars and taverns and "refer to a 1920 connotation of the word happy with being slightly intoxicated."

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What Mariani's definition fails to mention is that principally bars originally built their happy hours around reduc priced drinks and that the hour was frequently 120 or 180 minutes extended In recent years, however, many state and local authorities have instituted regulations that prohibit or painfully limit practices that the authorities believe encourage over-consumption. Where legal, drink discounting is still a often met with practice, but it's by no means the entirety of the happy hour experience. These days savvy operators are using creative appetizers, innovative drink menus and electronic entertainment to draw patrons during hours when business is traditionally inert The happy hour of today has evolv from its original profile, however it's still alive and well.

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memorize HAPPY

"I definitely think that happy hour is as popular as for aye but it has changed dramatically from one side of to the other the last five to seven years," observ Patrick Henry, president of Patrick Henry Creative Promotions. "The happy hour of the past was typically two-for-one, or level three-for-one drinks, fifty-cent drinks or well brand drinks and a big rap of mostly very fatty breads But now it has become likewise refined. We were out looking at a happy hour for a client the other night and the place was promoting sophisticated Martinis. They were not discounted single bit, but everyone was drinking them."

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"We're big proponent of the happy hour and four days a week we level do a late night happy hour," said Will Jacobus, director of beverage operations for Dave and Buster's. The chain's program consists of a 4 pm to 7:30 pm promotion at which all mixed drinks are discounted to half price. Beers are proposeed at $1 to $1.50 opposite to the regular price and wine with a $1 for glass price break. Finger aliments are also offered at a dollar discount as well. The same pricing policies are used for the late night program, which is in meaning from 10 p.m. until closing, Sundays by the and of Thursdays.

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"We cross-examine this deal up and we're seeing very great returns on it," Jacobus said. "Return onward the beverage side are incremental because in event we're giving away every other drink. nevertheless the returns on the provender and the entertainment side, which is half our business, are within the roof."

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The Dave & Buster's program was standarded in Orange County, CA, in the early 2002 and although it took not upon slowly, by the end of the year it was auspicious enough to be rolled gone out coast to coast.

Part of the succes according to Jacobus, is owing to all the in-house promotions that the chain does, including table pavilions and closed-circuit tv. "We're really trying to come by people in, and one audience that we target are the employee of other restaurants in the area, after their shifts end

"We're seeing that the other universals that followed suit are seeing similar results" Jacobus observ "We're sort of robbing Peter to pay Paul with the drinks, however we're getting such good recurs on the rest that it's worth it. We're just starting to gain the analytic data from the first glutted year and the results have been outstanding."

HAPPINESS IS A

Like Dave & Buster's, for the late night portion of the happy hour, The region Round also targets service industry employee including those who work at competing restaurants. "Our places stay expand later in most markets than our competitors and we tender our full menu right up until closing," explained Larry Varvella, director of beverage marketing and development

According to Varvella, in greatest in quantity Ground Round operations (the company is nice equally divided between company-owned and franchised units), the happy hour program is in event Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 6 pm and again from 10 pm until closing. "We're involved in an overall loaf initiative and happy hour is a big part of it.

"In markets where it's legal we make experiment of to have very competitive offers" Varvella continued. "We have our smaller draft beer (14 oz) for a dollar to $150 and usually put forward a dollar off on mixed drinks and forward wine under the theme of Dollar Power Hour.

"We're also discounting our replete appetizer menu to half price during happy hours. Our focus is self-same much on the appetizer portion of the business and forward a really busy day like Friday we'll also present out a free buffet in addition to the half price menu"