Happy hours could be banned in the New York City, if a Department of Health policy is established by the debbie-downers that are trying to establish it! Â Just imagine alcohol and beer being banned during lunch times? It’s like prohibition in 2012! Â The point of this is to reduce risky behavior that alcohol may cause.
Read the full story after the jump!
Happy hour in the city could end if Department of Health policy party-poopers go ahead with a proposal to outlaw beer and booze specials at bars and restaurants, sources told The Post.
“It’s absolutely been discussed,†confirmed a department source. “It goes to show you the spirit with which they operate. Everyone is a child.â€
High-level conversations have gone beyond merely “throwing pencils on the ceiling and seeing what sticks,†another Health source revealed.
Sources said the happy-hour ban is being pushed by the agency’s marathon-running boss, Commissioner Thomas Farley, and is serious enough for one source to say the alcohol lobby had better find itself a good lawyer.
Agency spokesman Sam Miller denied existing “plans to pursue any policy around discount-alcohol sale.â€
But sources said the anti-booze sentiment at the agency has reached a fever pitch, with officials recently asking state officials about the “legality of liquor in ice cream,†referring to potent products infused with bourbon, rum and tequila.
A prohibition on discounted drinks is solidly in line with Farley’s goals, which he outlined in his “Take Care New York 2012†report.
Farley said he aimed to “reduce risky alcohol use,†noting alcohol-related hospitalizations in 2006 were roughly 209 per 100,000 people. His goal was to reduce this number to 170 per 100,000 by this year.
“DOH will advocate for policies that reduce access to alcohol by adolescents and for limits on sales practices in communities and campuses that promote drinking among adolescents and heavy drinking among adults,†the document reads.
In January, The Post revealed another sobering DOH scheme — a plan to reduce the “density’’ of alcohol outlets.
Bloomberg was furious with Farley when the proposal was reported because he was never told about it, sources said. Hizzoner quickly nixed the scheme. Because of this, a source said, Farley is proceeding very cautiously with plans to end happy hour, which would require a change to state law.
“A lot of DOH employees go to happy hour. It’s silly,†an agency source said of the push to ban it.
If a ban is enacted, it would put the Big Apple on par with 19 states that prohibit happy hour.
Bartenders say health officials may have had one too many.
“It’s ridiculous,†said Sabrina Purtill, a bartender at the Mean Fiddler in Midtown, where happy hour slashes $2 off the price of a beer or hard liquor and stretches from 11 a.m. to 8 pm. “With the economy the way it is right now, it’s good to see cheaper prices. We try to be generous to get a good clientele in the door.â€
The proposal left gin-joint bosses scratching their heads.
“What’s next — brunch?,†wondered Tom Shanahan, a lounge owner and lawyer who represents bars and nightclubs.
