{"id":2342,"date":"2026-06-09T20:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342"},"modified":"2026-06-09T20:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:34:51","slug":"happy-hour-comeback-healey-once-wary-of-idea-says-she-supports-local-option-for-discounted-drinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342","title":{"rendered":"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

On the heels of swift effort from the state Legislature to extend last call at bars to at least 3 a.m. this summer, Governor Maura Healey opined on another boozy topic that has long rankled Beacon Hill \u2014 lifting a ban on happy hour. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Follow live election results from the Maine Senate primary<\/a><\/p>\n

Healey said on WEEI\u2019s \u201cThe Greg Hill Show\u201d on Tuesday that she \u201cpersonally\u201d supports happy hour, which allows for discounted prices on alcoholic drinks, but has been illegal in Massachusetts for decades.When asked if she could ever see happy hour making a return, she framed the idea as part of her \u201ccompetitiveness\u201d pitch to attract and retain more people in the state. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI personally support happy hour. That said . . . it\u2019s a local option,\u201d Healey said. \u201cI really want 20-somethings, 18- to 35-year-olds staying in Boston, staying in Massachusetts. And it\u2019s really important that we create spaces for them to hang out and socialize.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But just two years ago, she sounded less sure when asked whether she supported the concept of bringing happy hour back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are problems with that, to be honest,\u201d she said during a July 2024 appearance on GBH\u2019s \u201cBoston Public Radio\u201c. \u201cWhat I\u2019m really focused on . . . is not happy hour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Healey declined further comment Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Governor Michael Dukakis first approved a proposal by alcohol regulators to outlaw happy hour in the 1980s after a 20-year-old Weymouth woman was killed in the parking lot of a Braintree bar after being dragged under a car driven by an intoxicated friend, according to a 1983 Patriot Ledger article about the incident. <\/span><\/p>\n

Newspapers at the time reported that the driver and her friend had left a trivia game at Ground Round in Braintree, where they received several free mugs of beer as prizes. <\/span><\/p>\n

The incident triggered a push to ban happy hour statewide, and in November 1984, Massachusetts became the first in the nation to ban happy hour drinking. The ban, still on the books, prohibits free drinks, jumbo-sized drinks, contests with drink prizes, and sales of pitchers of beer to solo customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the last decade or so, other states that had similar bans on happy hour have lifted restrictions, including Indiana, Illinois, and Kansas.<\/span><\/p>\n

State legislators here, however, are split on the issue. The state Senate has twice passed legislation that would give local cities and towns the option to allow happy hour. The measure, however, has died in negotiations with the House, where Democratic leaders have not supported the idea. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Senate\u2019s push would have allowed any city or town to vote to allow the sale of discounted alcoholic beverages at bars and restaurants during specific hours. The local governments would then set their own regulations on how the rules would work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more House advances bill to fund Trump\u2019s immigration actions for the rest of his term<\/a><\/p>\n

Cyr\u2019s effort is not the first time Beacon Hill has taken up the happy hour idea. Petitioners proposed that the state put the question on the 2022 ballot, but supporters didn\u2019t gather enough signatures to get the language before voters.<\/span><\/p>\n

State Senator Julian Cyr, who sponsored the Senate\u2019s effort, said in expressing her support, \u201cHealey is reiterating the perspective that we hear from scores of small business owners, our main streets, and downtowns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delighted,\u201d the Provincetown Democrat said. \u201cI think the opportunity to help get a little more foot traffic in the door is a real shot in the arm that our smallest businesses need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

House budget chief Aaron Michlewitz, a North End Democrat, said his chamber hasn\u2019t supported the issue because of objections from the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which represents about 1,800 restaurants.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Clark, president of the association, said Tuesday in a text that the governor\u2019s comments were \u201cmore of an answer to a question, rather than a comment on any imminent legislative change.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Restaurateurs are divided on the topic, too. Some worry that happy hour prices could lead to a \u201crace to the bottom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Others, including hospitality industry veteran George Aboujaoude, are all for it. <\/span><\/p>\n

The owner of Committee in the Seaport and Eva on Newbury Street said hearing happy hour come up in discussion again feels \u201clike I\u2019m in the twilight zone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve asked for that for so long and I\u2019ve always been told it\u2019s never going to happen,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like I am dreaming. I never expected to hear \u2018happy hour\u2019 and \u20183 a.m.\u2019 in this city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more R.I. Assembly won\u2019t vote on a state Voting Rights Act this year<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday that she \u201cpersonally\u201d supports happy hour \u2014 which allows for discounted prices on alcoholic drinks, but is illegal in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nHappy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks. - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks. - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday that she \u201cpersonally\u201d supports happy hour \u2014 which allows for discounted prices on alcoholic drinks, but is illegal in Massachusetts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-09T20:34:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"headline\":\"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-09T20:34:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342\"},\"wordCount\":789,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342\",\"name\":\"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks. - Boston Relocation Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-09T20:34:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":1028},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=2342#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Boston Relocation Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks. - Boston Relocation Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks. - Boston Relocation Insider","og_description":"Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday that she \u201cpersonally\u201d supports happy hour \u2014 which allows for discounted prices on alcoholic drinks, but is illegal in Massachusetts.","og_url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342","og_site_name":"Boston Relocation Insider","article_published_time":"2026-06-09T20:34:51+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"headline":"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks.","datePublished":"2026-06-09T20:34:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342"},"wordCount":789,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif","articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342","name":"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks. - Boston Relocation Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif","datePublished":"2026-06-09T20:34:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81b7c8c6a7b9078fc409cdf7ce2815fd.avif","width":1440,"height":1028},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2342#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Happy hour comeback? Healey, once wary of idea, says she supports local option for discounted drinks."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/","name":"Boston Relocation Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}