35 comments
We are in support of allowing restaurants and other on-premise licenses to offer reduced-price alcoholic beverages until 12:00am instead of the current 9:00pm cut off.
I respectfully oppose the Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association’s petition to amend current ABC regulations to allow happy hour promotions to continue until 12:00 a.m.
While I appreciate the economic pressures facing Virginia’s hospitality industry, extending alcohol promotions later into the night would likely increase the risk of alcohol misuse, impaired driving, and related harms—particularly among young adults and college-age populations. The current 9:00 p.m. cutoff provides a reasonable balance between business flexibility and public safety.
Decades of prevention research demonstrate that increased alcohol availability and extended hours of promotion are linked to higher rates of binge drinking, alcohol-related crashes, and injuries. These risks are amplified during late-night hours when impulse control is lower, alternative transportation options may be more limited, and enforcement resources are reduced.
Virginia’s success in reducing DUI convictions and alcohol-related fatalities in recent years reflects the effectiveness of existing safeguards. Weakening one of those guardrails could reverse that progress. Maintaining the current restriction reinforces our state’s commitment to responsible alcohol policy and public health.
Young adults—especially college students—are a vulnerable group when it comes to risky drinking behaviors. Expanding happy hour promotions later into the night normalizes prolonged drinking occasions and sends a message inconsistent with the Commonwealth’s efforts to prevent substance misuse and support safer campus and community environments.
For these reasons, I urge the Virginia ABC Board to deny the petition and maintain the existing 9:00 p.m. cutoff for happy hour promotions. Protecting lives, health, and safety must remain the priority.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Reed, MA, ICPS
Executive Director
Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE)
Happy hours are a tool that restaurants can use to drive customer demand on off-peak days and times of the day. It's getting tougher and tougher to run a restaurant these days and many restaurants need more customers past 9pm to survive, even if it means giving a discount like a happy hour promotion. This change would promote a more vibrant restaurant scene which is good for the community and employees.
We are in support of extending beverage and alcohol discounts past 9pm until 12am.
I am in full support of this amendment
Hello,
Our restaurant group would support the extension of happy hour until 12am. While we ourselves may not directly benefit, as we are mainly a breakfast & lunch restaurant, we do understand the issues our industry is currently facing. With the current economic climate, diners are looking for ways to save. Allowing extended happy hour can help with finding more revenue sources, as well as keep up with current trends of diners looking for options later in the evening.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.
Amber Kostka
I am in favor of extending the times for happy hour as listed in the petition to midnight.
This gives retailers the ability to be more flexible in running promotions to stimulate revenue and therefore enhance taxable revenues for the commonwealth.
I am in favor of extending the times or Happy Hour as listed in the Petition to Midnight .
This gives retailers the ability to be more flexible in running promotions to stimulate revenue and therefore enhance taxable revenues for the Commonwealth
As a long-time operator of Full-Service restaurants in VA, I have always found the 9PM deadline for Happy Hours very restrictive to our business. Happy Hours are a means to incent folks to come out and patronize our restaurants during off peak times, not necessarily to drink more. In this day and age of declining sales and rising costs, restaurants should have the right to incent guests with lower pricing or special deals as it sees fit.
Our company currently operates restaurants in 4 states, where we offer "all day Happy Hour (except Virginia, til 9PM)" Locations in other states perform better with late night sales because of this, and we think our locations in Virginia should be entitled to the same opportunity.
Our company whole-heartedly supports the expansion of late-night happy hour from 9PM until Midnight.
Respectfully,
Gary Cohen
Glory Days Grill
The sale of alcohol at on-premise sites should not be extended to midnight. The data is clear that alcohol consumption increases as price decreases. The communities safety should not have to rely on the presence of police offices to spot, stop, test, and arrest drivers for elevated blood alcohol levels. The Commonwealth should maintain its current guidelines.
I am writing in strong support of the proposed extension of happy hour hours under Petition ID 444. The hospitality industry has changed significantly in recent years, and our regulations should evolve with it.
Across Virginia, restaurants, bars, and hotels are facing shifting consumer behavior and a notable decline in alcohol sales, particularly during traditional early-evening hours. Guests are dining later, drinking less per visit, and increasingly prioritizing experiences that extend beyond dinner service. Allowing licensed establishments to offer happy hour pricing later into the evening, for example, until midnight; provides operators with a much-needed tool to attract guests responsibly and remain competitive with other nightlife markets.
This change would not promote over-consumption; it would simply align regulatory limits with current patterns of social dining and consumer choice, while supporting thousands of small businesses that employ Virginians and contribute to local tax bases. Responsible service training, enforcement, and community partnerships will continue to ensure safety remains paramount.
In short, extending happy hour hours modernizes Virginia’s ABC framework and helps local restaurants, bars, and suppliers adapt to today’s economic realities. I urge approval of this petition.
Respectfully,
Frank Brunetto
Envirocare of Virginia
Time limits do nothing positive for society. Removing the limits could possibly boost commerce which would have a positive effect on wages and taxes. We should also lower the food to alcohol ratio dramatically to food being 10% of sales.
For a state that espouses economic libertarianism (i.e., the government should take a laissez faire approach to commerce) and trying to not restrict individual rights, it's always odd to see your command-and-control economy ABC Stores when grocery stores elsewhere have this this sorta thing down. I hadn't heard of the happy hour restrictions until recently: why can't a business owner fix their alcohol prices and promote them at whatever time they choose? Is there a market failure that you can point to?
Of course, if you want to solve for market failures, try bringing a Mamdani-style grocery with actual produce into a food ghetto. Oh, that's communism!
As a substance use disorder treatment provider, I do not support expansion of happy hour promotions. Progress on decreasing alcohol related accidents have been made with the current restrictions in place. Expansion would encourage increased consumption and likely erode progress made. Alcohol related health issues increased during the pandemic and continue to increase. Taking action that would lead to an increase in these harms is not in the public interest.
As a member of the Prevention Coalition of Greater Prince William County and out of concern especially for young adults, whose brains are still developing and may be encouraged to make poor decisions about drinking to excess due to this change, I oppose this rule-making petition. There is no reason to jeopardize recent improvements to public safety. Perhaps specials on food items might achieve the same aims to improve restaurant profits while preserving public safety.
On behalf of Clyde's Restaurant Group who currently owns and operates two restaurants (one in Alexandria and one in Ashburn) plus a third under construction in Reston, we are in full support of extending the ability to offer happy hour programs and pricing past 9pm.
Customer trends have changed over time and the ability to attract guests after the normal dinner period of 6pm-9pm is critical to driving financial success for our operations and our employees.
Neighboring jurisdictions (ie. DC) to not have such limitations causing many to shape their plans to take advantage of those offerings, putting our VA locations at a disadvantage.
Sincerely,
David Moran
As a public health professional in Virginia, I cannot support an extension of happy hour rules. Current rules are in place to balance public health risks with business operations. This petition is correct - great strides have been made in lowering the number of alcohol-related fatalities - but that is because we have safeguards in place as a control state to allow for this accomplishment. Research shows that lowering the cost of alcohol encourages increased drinking habits, and our young adults, a population that is most likely out during these later hours, are most vulnerable when it comes to overconsumption. We also know from research that most DUIs happen between the hours of 11pm and 4am. By allowing happy hour discounts later into the night, Virginia ABC would be increasing the likelihood of overconsumption and drinking and driving, but as a state authority, the ABC should continue to prioritize public health and safety. On a more anecdotal note, I can't even think of a restaurant/bar off the top of my head that currently holds happy hour all the way until 9pm, so it seems many businesses agree with prioritizing public health and safety by ending their happy hours even before the current restrictions mandate.
We operate and own four restaurants and would love to see this extended. It would not only allow us to bring in much needed sales, but also allow our staff to be able to enjoy happy hour pricing on the drink they have with their meal at another restaurant on the way home. With the rise of Uber and Lyft in addition to taxis, public transit, and walkability, there are so many ways to get home should you need to, but the reality is, people just don't drink as much as they used to. Many young adults see alcohol the way my generation saw cigarettes. This means they are already far less likely to over indulge. When you add the wide spread training for staff to prevent over service, this one seems like an easy win win. The state gets more revenue and the restaurants get more sales. I would strongly urge ABC to consider this request.
Yes to the extension!!
I oppose the extension of happy hour on the basis of strictly driving alcohol sales after 9:00pm. I support business but I think it should be balanced with the need for public safety. If people want to drink after 9:00, let them drink responsibly. I think keeping the lower price after 9:00pm all for more business and greater profit is a wrong approach. If someone wants to drink after 9:00, pay the price listed, If they don't they can leave. What's the next step? Start paying for their Ubers & Lyfts?
I definitely support extending the limit. However, perhaps the cut off should be 10 or 11pm rather than midnight.
First of all, I don't think business owners should be told how much they have to sell their products for that they purchased, but if we are going to have these rules, they should only be when needed for public safety. If you look at recent trends on drunk driving in the state, it isn't of any particular note after 9pm. There isn't a reason to think that people, who aren't currently over indugling in alcohol, would suddenly see that it is $2 cheaper and decide to become an alcoholic. That just isn't realistic. Restaurants currenlty end happy hour at 6pm in most cases. They are trying to bring in a few extra people during slower times. These days people aren't out late anymore. This would most likely result in a few more people who get off work later coming in to have a drink or two, not in mass partying. Restaurants are likely to use it as a 9pm or 10pm to midnight way of gaining a few extra sales. We should trust the bartenders to do their job in not overserving. Trust the patrons to know there limit and act like adults. In general, allow people options when there is no reason not to.
Alcohol is the #1 drug in the US. It does not need to be further promoted.
As a former long-time worker in the food service industry, I always understood promotions like happy hour and special food prices to be an enticement to patrons who might otherwise go directly home after work and not go back out later in the evening. Capturing this customer in that 4 PM - 7 PM window was key. Frankly, the current time of 9 PM is quite ridiculous and encourages binge drinking during hours that Americans don't typically eat meals.
An extension to 12 midnight seems even more ridiculous. A question for the supporters: Why not set your prices at the happy hour price all day long? To offer a discounted price up until midnight then raise them for the last 2 hours you are legally allowed sell alcohol for on premises consumption makes little sense. We already have too many licensees who are willing to sell two drinks to a patron at last call, sometimes 15 minutes before 2 AM, thus encouraging that patron to gulp down two more drinks after drinking for hours.
In the interest of public safety, this petition should be denied.
I share the concerns of many who have commented on this petition. Expanding Happy Hour later into the evening will have a detrimental impact on the safety of our roads. This will have a direct impact on increasing DUIs and traffic deaths. I hope that this change is rejected, and ABC maintains its current regulatory limit on the length of Happy Hours for restaurants.
Please do not increase the time allowed for happy hour in restaurants. This would only increase the likelihood that someone will drink too much alcohol and drive impaired. People often think of having one more drink because it is such a good price. But the real cost could be taking a life caused by driving under the influence. It is not worth it!
Please do not extend happy hours. This is a dangerous move that could greatly impact driver safety. Cheaper drinks means more drinks. This needs to be limited. This is coming from the mother of a daughter who was killed by an impaired driver in the evening hours after leaving a bar.
Please do not extend happy hour hours. In 2013 my then 16 year old daughter were hit by a drunk driver at 11:30 pm. He had just come from a bad where he had 5 mixed drinks after a day of drinking. My daughter is now 28 years old and will be disabled her entire life.
To the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on behalf of the families in Virginia who have been affected by traffic violence. As a national advocacy organization whose members are all individuals directly impacted by traffic violence, Families for Safe Streets (FSS) brings a powerful personal voice. FSS members, who have lost loved ones or suffered life-altering injuries, have become the public face of traffic deaths. They share their stories and experiences to highlight the devastating consequences of reckless driving and to urge lawmakers to adopt life-saving policies on the local, state and national level.
We stand with our members who respectfully oppose the proposed amendment to extend reduced-price alcohol sales (Happy Hour) from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. We understand the public support of Virginia’s restaurants, hotels, and hospitality workers, however, we maintain that any changes to alcohol policy must be evaluated through a public-safety lens—especially as impaired driving remains a top cause of death on Virginia’s roads.
The petition from the Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association highlights economic benefits but understates the risks associated with increasing late-night alcohol availability. Extending discounted alcohol service hours would increase the likelihood of impaired driving at the most dangerous time of day: late evening and overnight, when fatal crashes are disproportionately more likely.
Data to consider:
This is not about discouraging business - it’s about preventing irreversible harm.
Increasing access to reduced-price alcohol during late hours creates unnecessary risks that will undoubtedly impact families, first responders, and communities across the Commonwealth.
Here are the names of a few of our members who were injured or killed on Virginia roads in preventable crashes:
For more stories, check out our National Story Map, https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org/stories
While the industry asserts that rideshare services reduce impaired driving, evidence shows that availability is inconsistent, especially in rural or suburban communities, where many fatal crashes occur.
We need a balanced approach that prevents harm:
We urge the ABC Authority to maintain the 9:00 p.m. cutoff and preserve Virginia’s commitment to protecting lives.
I strongly support extension of happy hour timings until midnight. It will help restaurant owners tremendously and overall adding to Virgini's economy.
Extending happy hour times is a smart move that can give Virginia’s restaurant industry a real boost during this tough economic climate. Longer happy hours attract more guests, encourage repeat visits, and increase sales during what are typically slower periods. The added revenue helps restaurants keep their doors open, support local suppliers, and create more jobs — from bartenders and servers to kitchen staff and delivery drivers. It’s a simple change that can have a big impact on small businesses and local communities across the Commonwealth
I support the extension of happy hour as it would help small businesses especially when we operate on tight budgets. These additional few hours could make a big difference in helping small businesses recover from financial hardships. It would give restaurant staff more hours to work as well as give businesses the opportunity to recover and attract guests by increasing sales.
Please support the extension of happy hour in VA. The doomsday rhetoric is ridiculous. Restaurants need additional revenue and WE the People of VA deserve to be able to enjoy ourselves without needing to go into DC.