Happy hour is back in the Hoosier state

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Monday, happy hour will again be legal in the state of Indiana after nearly 40 years.

Happy hour was first banned in 1985 in an effort to curb drunk driving. The effort has proven to be less than effective, according to several studies, including one done by Suffolk University .

In March, Gov. Holcomb signed House Bill 1086, officially making happy hour legal again in the Hoosier state.

Indianapolis restaurants are welcoming the change. Up until now, if eateries wanted to offer discounted rates, they were required to do so for the entire day.

“Prior to this, you weren’t able to do it for a finite amount of time, you could only do it the entire day, from the time you open the doors to the time you close,” Managing Partner of The Oakmont and Vicino Gus Vazquez said.

The law does have a few stipulations.

Restaurants can offer up to four hours a day as a part of their “happy hour” and a total of 15 hours a week. The hours can never fall between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Vazquez and his team were quick to get to develop a plan for their happy hours at both The Oakmont and Vicino, which will run between 3 and 6 p.m. between Monday and Friday.

“It’s been so long since Indiana has had the chance to have a happy hour,” Vazquez said. “Our plan of action is to offer our guests some items that normally wouldn’t be offered to our guests during that time or some of our favorites at a discounted price.”

The managing partner also spoke on the impact the change has on people visiting the Circle City.

The restaurants often host those visiting Indianapolis for conventions and sporting events.

“Just today we had a couple from out of town come in, and ask if we had a happy hour either today or during the week…so ironically we told them that July first we’d be rolling it out,” Vazquez said. “I feel like a lot of the people that are visiting the city will feel at home even when they’re not at home.”