CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A bill filed in the North Carolina House Monday would legalize "happy hour" drink specials that are currently against state law.
House Bill 94, which has bipartisan support, would allow licensed businesses to sell alcohol at a different price than the normal established price and allow customers to purchase more than one drink at a single price. The bill would also let businesses set special prices, such as a "two for one" deal on alcoholic beverages. Businesses would apply for a $100 "happy hour permit" that would be granted to businesses that already hold alcohol sellers permits.
The bill comes after years of complaints from bar owners who called the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control, the body that controls how bars and clubs operate in the state, outdated.
Under current North Carolina law, businesses aren't allowed to run happy hour deals. Businesses are only allowed to change the price of an item if it's for the whole day. If approved, the new bill would take effect in July 2023.
"The ABC system in North Carolina is certainly outdated," Michael Sharpton, a Charlotte bar owner, said.
Sharpton was among a group of bar owners who successfully pushed for the removal of a requirement for all bars and nightclubs to require memberships from all customers, even if they were visiting from out of town. Previous law required all bars to record the name, phone number, address and reason for visiting of every customer they served.
North Carolina is one of 17 states that are deemed liquor control states. These states have laws in place in which the state becomes the overseer of the sale of alcohol at an establishment.
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