City Council Lifts Edina's Happy Hour Ban: 2012 in Review

Edina Patch covered a lot of different stories, topics and events throughout 2012. That said, there were a few that stood out as the most interesting, important, touching or possibly infamous to our readers.

And as we near the end of 2012, we're looking back at those articles. The following is one of those stories.

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Edina residents looking to grab a cheap drink after work no longer need to leave the city's borders, as the City Council unanimously approved a modification to city code to allow happy hour at local restaurants.

The amendment removes part of the city ordinance governing prices of alcoholic beverages at Edina's restaurants. The city still prohibits any sort of games, schemes or 2-for-1 deals, but restaurants are now free to set their own price points for alcoholic beverages.

Edina is the last Minnesota city to permit happy hour at its restaurants, according to Council Member Josh Sprague. He has been a strong proponent of amending city code to allow happy hour, saying "times have changed" and it's time for Edina to "evolve."

"I feel that this is long overdue—driven not just by the businesses, but by the consumers," he said. "I'm tired of putting our businesses at a disadvantage and not giving consumers what they can responsibly have and request."

Edina Patch helped bring the issue to light last year, with a series of articles on the city's happy hour ban. The city had been working with Hospitality Minnesota to craft the amendment language, basing it on similar ordinances in Indiana and Connecticut.

Read the remainder of the story here.

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