Innovative site compiles happy hour deals, locations and times from across Boulder
Things are heating up again at Happy Hour Boulder. This innovative website compiles all happy hour deals in Boulder. Launched at the tail end of last year’s outdoor dining season, the creators of the site look forward to an exciting spring and summer.
The three twenty-something women, Meghan McCarthy, Anne Kirkpatrick and Tara Brouwer, started the site in September 2006. They turned the idea from seedling to completion in an impressive two-month time span. The Web site began with no capital and was possible only because of the skills the three women brought to the site.
“We were really lucky with the partnership that formed. People think of this kind of thing all the time, but we actually made it happen. We put in a lot of time, but it is easier than you would think,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy and Kirkpatrick are both CU alumni. McCarthy graduated in 2003 from CU’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and is currently living and working in Boulder. Kirkpatrick graduated from CU in 2002.
The idea for the site came to McCarthy when she wanted to get a drink with a friend. Scouring online sources provided her with outdated resources and newspapers only listed a few restaurants. Out of habit and lack of other resources, she found herself sipping drinks at the Med’s happy hour, but yearning for more options.
The three women put their heads together and came up with the idea for Happy Hour Boulder.
The Web site provides a comprehensive listing of happy hours in Boulder and surrounding towns. Each listing includes location, time, and price. Divided by location, the site is easy to navigate and has a fresh, young feel. The site has featured restaurant reviews written by the staff, as well as user-submitted reviews.
Mamacita’s, located on the Hill and listed on Happy Hour Boulder, did not know about the site, but advocated the popularity of happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 to midnight weekdays.
“We usually fill up around 3 or 4 o’clock because of happy hour,” Philip Epstein, a manager at Mamacita’s said.
Like the manager of Mamacita’s, many people do not know about or use the site.
“I happened to go there, but I haven’t been back since. I am not much of a happy-hour person because I am usually working. It is definitely beneficial, though,” said Anthony Merino, the general manager at Half Fast Subs.
Happy hour is all about social interaction, cheap eats and drinks. The rock bottom deals let the poor student sample some of Boulder delicious fare they otherwise could not afford.
“You can get out with under a $10 bill. Especially as a student, you can eat your dinner at happy hour,” McCarthy said.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Kathleen Straney at kathleen.straney@thecampuspress.com.
