Late Night Happy Hours are Changing the Restaurant Game and Can Save You Money

For those who like to meet up with friends at restaurants for drinks, food, and catching up, there is one thing that has always made sense: the timing of the traditional happy hour. Timing food and drink specials to match up with when many people finish their work days makes it easy to arrange a meetup. However, with more people moving to non-traditional work hours that offer more flexibility, happy hours that occur at or around five o’clock are not the only option. As a result, late night happy hours are becoming more popular.

What is a Reverse Happy Hour?

Also referred to as late night happy hours, a reverse happy hour is a period of time at a bar or a restaurant, usually starting around nine o’clock and often lasting until close to closing time, when discounts on food, beer, wine, and / or cocktails are provided.

Similar to the traditional happy hour but offering even more opportunities to take advantage of appetizer and drink specials, these late-night alternatives to hang out with friends at a later hour and save money make sense for many patrons.

Who Can Benefit from Late Night Happy Hours?

The current economy provides many people with different schedules that often make early evening drinking and socializing challenging. Or they may not want to face traffic or crowded public transportation just to save a few dollars on a bar tab.

Additionally, many folks would prefer not to start their nights out until much later in the evening. They may prefer to go home after work, get ready, and then go out with friends later into the night instead of right after work.

The late night happy hour makes going to the local watering hole much more convenient to countless potential customers.

Why Do Certain Establishments Offer Reverse Happy Hours?

Here are some reasons why bars and restaurants are increasingly providing late night happy hours:

• Potential customers are often looking for something to do following seeing a movie, watching a sporting event, or spending the day running errands, and are more likely to stop somewhere for beverages and food if the restaurant offers attractive specials.
• Many restaurants are drawing crowds by offering fun activities, like karaoke and trivia, along with late night happy hour.
• There are more restaurants than ever, so there is more competition for patrons than ever – and loyalty matters.
• Reverse happy hours make an establishment seem unique and more hip than places that only offer traditional ones.

Which Restaurants Have Added Late Night Happy Hours?

Several prominent national chains are already well known for such happy hours. For example, Yard House, Chili’s, and Miller’s Ale House all provide excellent discounts on food and drinks for those who like to hang out a little later into the evening.

For example, Thrillist maintains a list of the best reverse happy hours in Los Angeles, which is a city where they are extremely popular.

Similarly, Gothamist has organized such a list for New York City, which is more than appropriate for the city that never sleeps.

It is increasingly common to see such happy hours popping up all over the country. Want to be part of the trend? Sign up now to beta test the Just Happy Hours app!