FSR March 2023

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L I Q U I D I N T E L L I G E N C E Chefs & Ingredients

DINERS ARE STILL CONGREGATING OVER DRINKS, EVEN IF IT’S NOT ALWAYS AT THE SAME TIMES AS PRE-COVID DAYS.

Has Happy Hour Soured? Even in an age of telecommuting, restaurants are betting on the post-work daypart. BY NICOLE DUNCAN

Whilenot part of the traditional, three-square-meals paradigm, happy hour has proved itself a viable revenue generator in the restaurant sector. A 2018 study fromNielsen even credited happy hour with generating 60.5 percent of weekly sales at restaurants and bars and increasing the average check by $8. ( It should be noted the study defined happy hour as taking place between 5 and 8 p . m ., which runs much later than most programs.) But a lot has changed since 2018. Consumers are returning to restau rants for dine- and drink-in—but they’re not necessarily going back to the office. This sea change has myriad implications for restaurants, with

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ADOBE STOCK / DAVIDE ANGELINI

INDUSTRY-WIDE ISSUE 17

MARCH 2023