Global Breaking News - Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Should Happy Hour Be Banned?
Illinois is one of several states that passed laws banning happy hours years ago when fears of drunken driving deaths inspired crackdowns on bar discounts that led to excessive drinking. Now Gov. Bruce Rauner is considering a bill, passed by the Illinois legislature, that would scale back the ban and ring in happy hours once again. But are such bans good policy, curbing drinking and drunken driving, or are they an unnecessary overreaction?
* ban = 금(지)하다/ happy hour = 특별 할인 시간대(술집에서 싼 값에 술을 파는 시간대)/ inspire = 불어넣다; 고무[격려]하다/ crackdown on ~ = ~에 대한 엄한 단속(조치)/ excessive drinking = 과음/ legislature = 입법부, 입법 기관(의 사람들)/ scale back = 축소하다/ ring in ~ = ~을 맞이하다/ curb = 억제[제한]하다/ overreaction = 과잉 반응

 음주와 취중 운전을 금하는 금지법은 좋은 정책인가요 아니면 불필요한 과잉 반응인가요?

1. There’s Nothing ‘Happy’ About Drunken Driving Deaths
Reinstituting happy hour, with its drunken hordes stumbling forth onto the roads, isn't good for business or society.

2. Responsible Service Makes Sense, Bans Don’t
Annual certification in an alcohol management program should be required for all food and beverage employees, to keep customers safe.

3. I Need to Relax With Friends at the Bar After Work
Those few hours hanging out over inexpensive drinks and small bites are an important part of working life in a city.

4. Hangover-Free Happy Hours
Why not have group bike rides, chess gatherings, poetry readings, jam sessions, with drinks —alcoholic and alcohol-free — at the end of the day?

Sample Essay

Responsible Service Makes Sense, Happy Hour Bans Don’t

In the beginning of my career as a bartender, I worked in a solid establishment with great food and beverages that offered a happy hour. I appreciated it because it brought in clientele fairly early in the evening when bars are often quiet.

During that hour, the average check was two drinks per person, and they frequently would order an appetizer. After it was over, some guests stayed on and ordered a meal. But more often than not, many of the guests made their way home without much fanfare.

Yet, happy hour or not, the one thing that I was always diligent about was serving water and frequently checking in with my guests to make sure that they were in good shape. One of the owners was always on-premise and frequently checked in at the bar to ensure all was going well. In general, offering food and water and frequent check-in’s with one’s patrons is not just a good preventative -- at the core, it’s simply responsible hospitality.

At this point in my career as an bar owner, I can appreciate it for similar reasons. From a financial perspective, bars can often be fairly quiet places the first hour or two after opening. Now, when various states are considering a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, a short selection of drinks offered at a slight discount can help to stimulate business and offset costs.

It’s a bit narrowminded to think that a happy hour ban is going to drastically reduce problems. An establishment that offers food can avoid happy hour restrictions by leaving their drinks at full-price and discounting their food instead. A guest can beat the system by simply patronizing a bar that offers inexpensive drinks during all of its hours of operations.

We should instead be addressing this issue at the core with responsible service. In lieu of happy hour bans, I’d like to see legislature that requires all food and beverage establishments to annually certify all employees who serve alcohol through an accredited alcohol management program. New hires should be put through the program before they start.

I’ve participated in a number of such certifications, and I require that my entire staff be certified. Every establishment has an obligation to ensure the safety of its guests at all times -- not solely during happy hour.