Many millennials—my peers—keep their weeknights jam-packed with long hours at the office, scheduled activities, can’t-miss TV shows and other commitments. It leaves little time for after-hours socialization. Enter drunch: A mash-up of “drunk” and “brunch” that’s become prime-time dining for millennials.
The weekend brunch has become just as popular a social outing as the weeknight dinner with friends for some, especially when cocktails are involved. While our calendars are typically filled Monday through Friday, the weekend is a whole different ball game. That’s free time for most millennials. And a morning get-together leaves the rest of the day open, with drunch kicking it off with a bang.
A recent Easter-weekend brunch confirmed that this dining occasion has become a staple for millennials, part of the millennial culture. I was lucky enough to score an 11 a.m. reservation for a 6-top. at Hutch in Chicago (which is a big feat, considering the nearby afternoon Cubs game). The American bistro-style restaurant was slammed. Every table was filled. And most people had cocktails sitting right beside their meal.
As I sipped my Veggie Mary (cucumber vodka, tomatillos, yellow tomatoes, cucumbers, green apples, celery-salt rim and a veggie skewer, served with a four-ounce Miller High Life sidecar) and snacked on the Totchos we’d ordered for the table (yes, breakfast nachos made with tater tots), I scanned the room. The crowd was diverse, filled with 20-somethings with hangover eyes, gabbing groups of girlfriends and stroller-pushing young couples. Yet there was no one in the 40+ age bracket dining along with us.
So next time you see a menu promoting an all-you-can-drink mimosa Sunday special or a weekend build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, don’t wonder who would actually partake in something like that. It’s us—the millennials who finally found a little free time in their week and are looking to unwind.
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