Happy Hour 101

The first rule of happy hour is: you do not talk about happy hour. The second rule of happy is: you DO NOT talk about happy hour! Hopefully you are both young enough or old enough to get that reference.

If you are like me, you were first introduced to the concept of happy hour when you dove into the workforce. Somehow working and discounted drinks seem to blend perfectly.

I must admit that I did not understand the concept of happy hour when it was initially presented to me. It seemed like an excuse to drink. Do not get me wrong, it might look like that on the outside but there definitely is an art to happy hour.

After getting over the initial happy hour confusion, I quickly fell in love with the concept. When I first started working I would easily find myself at one or two happy hours a week.

When I first relocated back to Chicago in early 2015, I discovered happy hours had been outlawed. I was in utter shock and I might have moved back to Connecticut if I did not already have a job. But Chicago reinstated happy hours by the time summer 2015 rolled around, so I quickly stopped browsing the help wanted ads.

I have a few tips that will help you master the art of the happy hour.

Tip 1: Work happy hours and friend happy hours is not the same thing.

Work happy hours are a one or two drink max and it is filled with awkward conversation with pure networking. Those typically can transition into a friend happy hour once the most senior people start to leave. Friend happy hours have no rules.

If you treat both of them the same you’ll find yourself sleeping on a random co-worker’s couch on a Tuesday night and being the talk of the night (you know who you are!).

Tip 2: Location, location, location!

Please do not choose an indoor place if it is beautiful outside. There is nothing like having an iced cold beverage with a cool breeze hitting your face. Anytime someone invites me to a patio/rooftop happy hour, I find myself willing to travel far and wide. I might even make a transfer, most of my city people know how big making a bus/train transfer is for a person.

Tip 3: Choose your happy hour weekday wisely.

For the sake of having a productive work week, please do not do a Monday night friend happy hour. Most people are recovering from a fun filled weekend and it will be hard to get out of the weekend mood if I am offered a night of drinking with one my many favorite people.

Tip 4: If your happy hour ends in an hour, you’re doing it wrong.

I always chuckle when someone tells me they met up with a friend for a “drink” after work and ended up going home at 11 pm. The only time a proper happy hour ends in 60 minutes is if you are at a work happy hour and the person you want to suck up to has exited the building.

Share what your personal happy hour tip is below!

Cheers to Summer filled with all the patio/rooftop happy hours you can imagine.

xoxo,

– Shay