Now that they have eliminated smoking from bars and passed a beloved letter grade system to let you know how clean the city's restaurants are, the Department of Health has had some free time to focus on their next big fix for New York City. And the winner is a proposal to eliminate happy hours from bars. Wait, what?
Happy hour dates back to Prohibition, when New Yorkers would gather at speakeasies to imbibe before moving on to restaurants that couldn't serve booze. Today it's known as that blissful time between the end of the work day and the rest of the night, when adults can stop off at a local watering hole for an adult beverage or two as a way to unwind from the stressful day. As an added benefit, bars usually knock a buck or two off the price of each drink as a way to get you in the door. It's win-win, unless you are DOH Commissioner Thomas Farley, who in his heart of hearts knows that happy hour is a scourge on our community and families, and must be destroyed. Finally, someone has thought of the children!
According to the NY Post, the discounted price on booze at happy hour is exactly the type of thing that the Commish believes leads to over-consumption by adults and adolescents alike. If they succeed in getting the State Legislature to change the laws, New York would be the 19th state in the union to do so. But does New York really want to join such states as Massachusetts (the 1st) and Utah (the latest)?
Of course not! Does the Commissioner know how much a stinking draft beer costs in his fine city? In Manhattan, you are probably talking about an average of $7, with some brews pushing $10 or more. So if John Q. Bar Owner wants to sell a drink for $1 or $2 less to get John Q. Citizen to stop in between the hours of 5- 8 p.m., what right does anyone have to say that's not our right as free New Yorkers? The answer is ZERO! If Farley doesn't agree, we hear Utah is lovely in the summer.
· Party Poopers Eye Unhappy Hour [NYP]
· Nightlife Coverage [~ENY~]
[Image via]