I’ve been dealing with a lot of different local bars over the past few months in working for the magazine.  Everyone’s got their own idea for a Happy Hour – some time of day or week when food or drink are half-off  or somehow otherwise discounted for the prudent customer’s convenience.  I’ve seen some with a very obscure, particular hour that I don’t think anyone has any chance of making.  And then I’ve seen some where the hours are happier more often than not.

You guys I’m sure know by now that I draw a lot of inspiration from Seth Godin, whose big thing (or, one of his many) is being remarkable.

Tying it all together: I’d love to see a bar with an “Unhappy Hour.”  Good deals on drinks all the time, except if you’re there from 7pm-8pm, you pay four times as much.  Do some over-the-top advertisements: “Don’t come during Unhappy Hour!  Everything’s super expensive!  You’ll have the worst time ever, but only for a limited time!”  Perhaps you could even reward your brazen patrons for throwing caution (and cash) to the wind with a free T-shirt or giveaway if they buy during unhappy hour.

Might not make sense, might do more harm than good to the bar’s overall rep and brand.  But I bet you’d definitely find people start talking about you.