It appears that happy hour has succeeded in making not only bar patrons happy, but bar owners as well. According to a recent study of national consumer spending habits, during this difficult economic time people just want to go “where everybody knows their name.” Bars and clubs are on the rebound, making the fastest comeback over the last year. In comparison, though restaurants are still the most visited business overall, they were also the most affected by the recession.
- Millennials are leading the trend in bar hopping. Young men in particular—1 in 4—say they are going to more bars and clubs this year
- 49% of male respondents age 18-34 are going to bars more often this year compared with only 6% of male respondents age 35-54
- 47% of respondents under 35 say they are patronizing bars and clubs more this year
- 80% of respondents say they still go out to eat at least once every 3 months. However, 37% of respondents dine out less often now than they did a year ago
- Only 15% of respondents reported dining out more often this year than in 2010. However, young folks are hitting restaurants, movies and retail more than their older counterparts
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