- Even though office attendance has decreased, spending on happy hours remains higher than before the pandemic.
- Happy hour can help coworkers get to know each other better than they would at work.
- Still, some workers say they are careful not to overindulge with their colleagues.
Zachary Timms, a project engineer in Houston, has rules for how he hosts happy hour with his colleagues.
The first is to stay one drink behind everyone else. The second: never leave last. However, despite the seemingly devastating atmosphere, the limits that the 26-year-old imposes on himself do not put the kibosh on pleasure.
“I love happy hours,” Timms told Business Insider. “It gives me the opportunity to show more of my personality” around my colleagues, he said.
Courtesy of Zachary Timms
He’s not the only one who likes being able to have a drink and meet up with his colleagues. Even though our work habits have changed since the pandemic, remember long Fridays at the office? – some things haven’t changed as much as many might think in the four years since the lockdowns. Sure, there was that period of awkward Zoom drinks, but now that people are back out of the house, they’re still shelling out for late afternoon drinks.
Happy hours aren’t as much of a concern for many restaurants as they were in 2020. That’s when people who might be working from home — and who might be craving connection — might head to their local bar or local restaurant late afternoon for socializing (albeit outside). ). However, happy hour spending remains above 2019 levels in many major U.S. cities, according to data provided to Business Insider by technology company Square.
The share of spending at restaurants in the United States between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. peaked at 8.26% in 2020, according to Square data. But happy hour’s 7.66% share in 2023 was still up from 2019’s 7.34%.
And now Square’s numbers, based on billions of annual U.S. transactions, show that Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are happy hour heavyweights compared to the start of the work week. This corresponds to some of the busiest days in the office.
To have “a chance to breathe”.
Shadé Smith, a finance director in New York who works in an office part of her time, told BI that her hybrid setup can make it difficult to get to know her colleagues. So she tries to go to as many in-person social gatherings as possible.
“Sometimes I can’t wait to show them all of my personality at happy hour, but I’ve made some really good friends over the last three years,” she said.
Timms also sees it as a way to relieve some of the stress of working in engineering consulting. “Happy hours give me and my colleagues a chance to breathe,” he said.
People are also generally spending more at restaurants than before the pandemic, even after adjusting for inflation, Ara Kharazian, head of research and data at Square, told BI.
Although this is partly explained by a slight increase on weekends, part comes from a readjustment of budgets during the week. People don’t come in for sandwiches and salads at lunch as often in downtown business districts, Square data shows, probably because they’re in the office less often. Maybe that leaves money for happy hour.
Let’s not forget a key factor that could motivate spending between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.: the perception that you’re getting a good deal. Bars and restaurants often offer discounts on food and drinks during this time, an attractive factor for Americans looking for a bargain amid higher prices.
And early evening drinks are popular because they’re open to everyone. Although weekday lunches downtown tend to be reserved for office workers, Kharazian notes that a late afternoon pint and plate of nachos aren’t as reserved for office workers. “You don’t have to be at work to go to happy hour,” he said.
“When you’re working remotely from home, 5 p.m. is the earliest you can go out, and people are eager to do that,” Kharazian said.
After-work drinks are alive and well in New York.
Late afternoon spending may have declined in New York, according to Square data, but after-work social activities appear to pick up later in the evening for office workers. Bars around Wall Street in New York – primarily a business district – are often slow in the afternoon. Traffic then picks up around 6 p.m. when the 9 to 5 workers show up.
Ulysses, a neighborhood Irish pub, is so busy after work that it stays open later than neighboring bars (apparently some finance bros like to party until 4 a.m. on weekdays).
Despite some complaints on social media about happy hour-induced hangovers, several New York City bartenders told BI that the post-work period is still their busiest time of the week.
But even though people seem eager to socialize again, drinking can become a minefield when among co-workers, just as it did before the pandemic. Seasoned employees warning younger colleagues not to bring out their “weekend personality” during happy hour at work didn’t always deter the new promotion. Again, nothing new.
A TikToker shared her excitement for 5:01 p.m. this summer and the start of happy hour with her colleagues. But others on the platform urged caution because of what can happen when people drink too much in the presence of colleagues.
“Just a quick reminder that you were actually more drunk and boring at that work happy hour than you remember,” advised TikToker Jack Lawler. “I just want to make sure you remember that the damage you created that night is irreversible.”
And DeAndre Brown, who gives advice to Gen Zers and others navigating the corporate world, says it’s best to stick to the water. “These people are not your friends, okay? You work with them, and alcohol only forces you to say too much about your business,” he said in a video. “If you’re feeling tangy, add a lime.”
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