It's 4:45 on a Friday afternoon. Not only has it been a long, exhausting day at the office, but it's time for the weekend! Once that clock strikes 5:00, say goodbye to the cubicle until Monday because now it's time to cash your paycheck and unwind with friends or co-workers during one of the happiest times at any restaurant: Happy Hour.

Many different bars and restaurants offer some kind of Happy Hour specials, such as 2-for-1 drink specials or half-price appetizers, but the hard part usually is deciding where to go for these great deals that won't bust your wallet. Some establishments have one Happy Hour a day, while others have a reverse Happy Hour for the late-night crowds. Happy Hours aren't limited to just bars, however. Sonic Drive-In offers a half-price drink special for a few hours during the day in the summertime (non-alcoholic, of course), and Jack in the Box has been known to offer half-price milkshakes at certain times of the day in the past, but this offer doesn't come around too often.

Some of the main reasons why Happy Hours are so popular amongst the general public are to get great drink and food specials and mingle with some new faces, but a major reason why Happy Hours are becoming more and more popular can be attributed to the establishments themselves. During a down economy, people tend to spend less on eating out or on other luxuries, whereas restaurants suffer from the drop in business. Typically, a Happy Hour can be found between the hours of 2:00-6:00 PM, and again from 10:00 PM-closing. Restaurants and bars usually see these hours as the slowest times of the day, with times that there isn't a customer for an hour or more. Because of this, in comes the Happy Hour to save the day! (Restaurants close around the country on a daily basis and Happy Hour can be the saving grace for many bars and restaurants, just by offering half-priced drinks and appetizers.) Happy Hour also works for establishments because of the potential regular customers that a business can earn, especially if the price and service are right, not to mention the word-of-mouth advertising a great Happy Hour can bring.

Now that some of the reasons why Happy Hour works for the general consumer and the establishments have been explored, it's time to raise our glasses in a toast to the almighty Happy Hour, where one can eat, drink and be merry without breaking the bank. So once that clock strikes 5:00 and it's time to punch out of work for the day, it'll be time to punch in to Happy Hour. Cheers!

Written By: Brandon Matassa