Oh, happy hour. When a burger and a beer only costs $12 in an expensive place like Manhattan, one can’t help but feel like they’re getting away with something. It’s a beautiful thing.
What began as a booze-less social hour for the U.S. Navy in 1914 has evolved into a staple of American drinking and dining culture. It was around the ‘70s when it truly became synonymous with $2 Margaritas and half-priced apps. Ever since, it’s been a sure-fire way to curb the dinner rush, bring in new customers, and keep them coming back. Plus, a good chunk of the working world ends their day around 5 or 6 o’clock: that’s a little early for dinner, but not too early to grab a cheap pint and crush a plate of oysters.
But with discounted drinks and a limited window of time to drink them, happy hour can easily fill a bar with drunk patrons. That’s why in 1984, Massachusetts infamously became the first state to ban happy hour.
Over the years, a number of other states have followed suit to keep overconsumption at bay. Many states have put limits on when exactly happy hour can take place, as well as how inexpensive the deals can be. For example, in 2022, New York State liquor laws put the kibosh on a West Village bar’s 25-cent Martini special. The more risk-averse states out there seem to have good intentions at heart, but that doesn’t take away from the hard truth: Happy hour is awesome.
To help make sense of the many legal twists and turns, we built a map to show which states permit happy hour, which ones don’t, and which ones allow it with some caveats.
States with No Happy Hour Restrictions
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Iowa
Kentucky
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
North Dakota
South Dakota
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Washington D.C.
States with Restrictions on Duration or Time of Day
Illinois
Alabama
Louisiana
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
States with Limits on Price Reductions and All-You-Can-Drink Specials
Arkansas
Delaware
Kansas
New Mexico
New York
South Carolina
Tennessee
Washington
Connecticut
Hawaii
Maine
Michigan
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Virginia
States Where Happy Hour Is Illegal
Alaska
Indiana
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
Utah
Vermont
*Image retrieved from Charlie Harris via Unsplash.com
The article All the Places Where Happy Hour Is Illegal in the U.S. [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.