LOCAL CUSTOMS · CHICAGO
How happy hour works in Chicago
A serious after-work city whose drink discounts have to fit inside a statutory clock.
United States rules and habits →
The rule
Illinois permits a happy hour and limits it: at most 4 hours a day and 15 hours a week, no discount between 10 p.m. and close, one price for the whole window, and 7 days’ notice on the premises or the venue’s website (235 ILCS 5/6-28.5). Unlimited drinks for a single price are not a public offer. A meal package is a different, narrower permission.
The custom
The Loop and River North do the office hour, often 4 to 6 or 5 to 7, well inside the four-hour cap. Neighborhoods — Logan Square, Wicker Park, Lincoln Park — stretch it and add food. A deal that claims to run from noon to close at a changing drink price is the one to doubt. Late-night after 10 cannot be the discounted drink.