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Legal question regarding alcohol in massachusetts

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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
I'm a bartender at a local dive, and my boss said anyone with a good idea that gets put into use will get a hundred bucks, no questions asked. Ive been thinking about like trivia nights, free wing nights, etc, but i thought of an idea this AM at the gym that i thought was really good but im not sure if its legal or not.

so i was thinking, let people on their 21st bday only, drink draft beer and house booze for free. Say you loose 50 bucks on booze, theyll all bring a crowd going out on their 21st, and theyll be more inclined to tip if theyre drinking for free. It only happens to everyone once in a lifetime, and turning 21 people will obviously want to go where they dont have to pay a dime. I just wanst sure if this was legal or not, because i know MA is one of those states where happy hour is illegal, so i didnt know if free booze was ever allowed despite the circumstance.

thoughts? legal?
Feb 22 2011 2:47PM
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WikiWiki
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 426
happy hour is illegal in ma



damn your state fucking blows almost as bad as Canada is a country
Feb 22 2011 2:48PM
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Joe_Brogan
Posts: 360 - Karma: 11

your number of posts = my area code

oh and good idea

Feb 22 2011 2:48PM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
Doesn't sound like a great idea. I mean, it sounds good in theory, but who's gonna be watching these kids to make sure they don't just order drink after drink and kill themselves? Plus, if you have this deal, you're bound to have tons of birthday kids showing up every night wanting to get fucked up for free.
Feb 22 2011 2:49PM
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TheClap.
Posts: 21671 - Karma: 4,157
$1 beers, free wing night you will lose money so have .25 wing night, trivia is always a winner
Feb 22 2011 2:49PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
yeah its a pretty foolish law, theyre logic is the binge drinking aspect. but hey, just makes vacations that much better i guess.
Feb 22 2011 2:50PM
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ski@jaypeak2
Posts: 2805 - Karma: 469
Sell 40's
Feb 22 2011 2:51PM
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skiblandford
Posts: 1503 - Karma: 2
dude that sounds like a great idea make a shit load of $ dont see any reson why it would be illegal its free like a gift and i dont think gifts are illegal
Feb 22 2011 2:52PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
we could always keep track of what theyre drinking, i mean how many people have 21st birthdays? id be surprised to have more than a handful of people in a night. and you can make them have a max of like 5 drinks or something. the idea is what im focusing on, the details can be tweaked to make it safe.

and regarding the wings..the owner of the bar also is a caterer, so were already doing free wings. theres a bar across town that does them for ten cents, and i used to go there all the time. we definitely wouldnt lose money. say you eat 20 wings which is a shitload, thats two bucks, compared to the three hours youre sitting there with friends drinking 40 bucks worth of booze and tipping. thanks though for you guys' input so far.
Feb 22 2011 2:53PM
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-dva-
Posts: 1530 - Karma: 23
on a similar note as the whole free wing thing, there's a bar down the street from me that does a free buffet from midnight-2 every sunday-tuesday. like you mentioned, the actual value of the food is way less than the tabs we rack up on liquor. and it brings people in on typically off-nights
Feb 22 2011 4:19PM
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theGURU
Posts: 238 - Karma: 10
the bar I frequent has the best special schedule ever:
mon-Wing night with $2 lager
tues-Taco night with $.50 tacos(bean, beef, chicken on soft shell) and $2 coronas
wed-Cheesesteak night with $3 cheesesteaks and $2 lagers
Thurs-$2 you call it thursday(any well drinks and bottom shelf booze drinks)
sun-$2beer/$3cheesesteak specials for philly games that day(phillies, eagles, 6ers or flyers)


Feb 22 2011 4:43PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
we have $2 draughts every day. and we dont have a kitchen, so we cant do a food special every night, were just a plain old dive bar. the bar across the street from us does ten cent tacos on sundays and mondays too.
Feb 22 2011 4:58PM
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BenWhit
Posts: 4654 - Karma: 3,257
it's the bartender/owner's legal responsibility to not over-serve.
Feb 22 2011 5:16PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
correct. our bars nice and sketchy anyway
Feb 22 2011 5:19PM
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swd
Posts: 475 - Karma: 12
I'd limit how many drinks the 21 year old could get because they could slip some to there friends or whatever but wings... everybody likes wings
Feb 22 2011 5:38PM
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BenWhit
Posts: 4654 - Karma: 3,257
this man speaks the truth.
Feb 22 2011 5:48PM
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EC-Skier
Posts: 3899 - Karma: 668

i go to a bar on saturdays, they give out free wings.  this is a horrible idea.  sure everyone loves wings, but all the underage kids, such as me and my friends, head in there, eat a bunch of wings, drink free water, and then we peace.  the kids love it, but i bet theyre loosing money.  you would expect people to buy more food if the wings are free, but think about it.  who's gunna pay for anything when you can get unlimited wings and water for free.

go with your 21'st birthday idea

Feb 22 2011 5:56PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
our bar is strictly a bar, so we dont even allow anyone under 21 in so the grubby kids wont be getting any free wings. but i definitely get your point.
Feb 22 2011 6:06PM
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B.Aussie
Posts: 5852 - Karma: 4,531
The 21 idea sounds like a great idea. Go with that, but talk to your boss about a cut off limit, as you don't want to be held legally responsible if something happens.
Feb 22 2011 10:09PM
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stickerman
Posts: 2043 - Karma: 147
If you like the 21st birthday, you could do a thing like a food challenge. 21oz steak, 21 tacos etc. If they finish the whole serving in say an hour than they dont have to pay for it. . Maybe throw drinks in there as well.
Feb 22 2011 10:44PM
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ChipSki
Posts: 327 - Karma: 34
If your talking about the place at Sunday river, than I did that every time I went during early season this fall
Feb 22 2011 10:48PM
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Niceguy33
Posts: 90 - Karma: 10
cant give out free booze in MA unless its like a "tasting". Beirut tournaments are good, but you need to make them official with like championship rings or something
Feb 22 2011 10:50PM
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Deezy
Posts: 4580 - Karma: 1,004
yeah, obvi they will slip a few... then tips come in.
Feb 22 2011 10:52PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
fuck.
Feb 22 2011 11:26PM
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schubie
Posts: 74 - Karma: 12
Have like a Call of Duty tourney or some thing
Feb 22 2011 11:28PM
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Daoust
Posts: 487 - Karma: 103
beer pong tournys every week
Feb 23 2011 1:20AM
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tbayskier
Posts: 1138 - Karma: 1,642
THIS. with friendly wagers allowed?
Feb 23 2011 1:27AM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
Should be legal. But if you're really concerned look at the law regarding the prohibition of happy hours. It should define what a happy hour is and from there you can get around the law with precise language
Feb 23 2011 1:34AM
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JacheOReally
Posts: 3597 - Karma: 253
Well, it sounds like alcohol poisoning to me, but if I were the guy turning 21, I would bring a bucket and fill it and bring it home.
Feb 23 2011 1:35AM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
yeah, whenever people bring me buckets as a bartender, i fill them with our top shelf booze, no questions asked.
Feb 23 2011 12:42PM
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Kapital
Posts: 504 - Karma: 38
I will fucking e-beat your ass
Feb 23 2011 12:43PM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
It's actually not just a law stating no happy hours.


in MA alcohol prices have to be set (I believe in writing) for a minimum period of time. So if you decide you want to sell $1 draughts on a tuesday, you have to submit the paperwork, and the bar will then be required by law to have $1 draughts for a few weeks, whenever the bar is open. The state was pretty thorough with the alcohol price law.
Feb 23 2011 12:49PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
Therefore his idea should be fine. the deal only says that people on their 21st birthday may have free drinks. Period. as long as he doesnt mention time, he should be fine.
Feb 23 2011 6:42PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
ill do a little research.
Feb 23 2011 8:26PM
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HitTheJim
Posts: 787 - Karma: 399
US drinking age =21
Canada drinking age =18
Feb 23 2011 8:33PM
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Ilovewhitestuff
Posts: 726 - Karma: 25
servers of alcohol are supposed to be regulating how much people drink anyways arent they? i know that they dont always do this but it is supposed to be the law that you cant let people get drunk at your institution.
Feb 23 2011 8:36PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51738 - Karma: 163,453
Shit closing down at 1 even on new years? How fucking dumb. Had a good time though. I hate the sneaky cops on the mass pike in there random jeeps and what not. I hate getting stuck at the same parking areas without gas on that fucking road every summer.

Oh yeah, not relevant to op. sorry. Do what you want, fuck the man. Happy hour every hour
Feb 23 2011 8:39PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
where did you go that closed at one? last call in MA is usually 130, with bars closing at 2
Feb 23 2011 9:22PM
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Flying~Squirrel
Posts: 6494 - Karma: 192
i think there would be some asshole lawyer that would try and sue for 'ageism' so i would try something different. although im only 17, i think i can put myself in the mindset of a person recently out of college, who would like to have one night every week were the music was quieter and you turned on the lights a little brighter. my sister (25yo) always complains that bars and clubs are too loud for a good date, so once in a while they should make it easier to communicate with someone.
Feb 23 2011 9:29PM
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Flying~Squirrel
Posts: 6494 - Karma: 192
i think there would be some asshole lawyer that would try and sue for 'ageism' so i would try something different. although im only 17, i think i can put myself in the mindset of a person recently out of college, who would like to have one night every week were the music was quieter and you turned on the lights a little brighter. my sister (25yo) always complains that bars and clubs are too loud for a good date, so once in a while they should make it easier to communicate with someone.
Feb 23 2011 9:29PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
Canada= way more lenient on pot also.
But, Canada= Canada soo..... I'm taking my chances in good ol' US of A.
Feb 23 2011 10:24PM
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Ilovewhitestuff
Posts: 726 - Karma: 25
canada is sick, dont talk shit, and the drinking age depends on the province, ontario is 19
Feb 23 2011 10:28PM
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PotFarmer
Posts: 104 - Karma: 10
God would say not to drink. If you keep your drinking habits up you'll end up dying and hanging out with SATAN.
Feb 23 2011 10:40PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
Me and Satan hang out anyways. We met in rehab. But regardless of my associations with Lucifer, that's why you should smoke ganja. It's christian legal and shit.
Feb 23 2011 10:56PM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
that also means the prices apply to all customers. Part of set prices means you can't change it based on who's buying.
Feb 24 2011 12:14AM
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Nurgle
Posts: 1249 - Karma: 15
here we go some quick ideas

Have a beer tourney night, but play with water so the 18 year olds can get in. Have a limited amount of $3 pitchers around, so that people start the drinking, but continue once the cheap beer runs out.
Winner gets a $25-$50 bar tab

Have a 1$ shots night, with $2 double wells

Karoke night

Feb 24 2011 12:40AM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
So does the law apply to who may receive a happy hour? I thought said bill was only in regards to setting a minimum duration, nothing about who can have a happy hour. As long as the offer extends to the minimum date (a few week as far as I know), then it can't really be considered a happy hour.
Feb 24 2011 12:48AM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
no one can receive a happy hour, period. Everyone gets the same price. From what I understand, you're free to sell booze for whatever price you want. But that price applies to any customer who buys. IE you can charge 5 cents for a beer, but that must be the price for everyone who buys that beer, and that's going to be the price for weeks.

Happy hour means changing the price of booze for a short period. From what I understand (I learned all about this by working with an experienced bouncer/club owner all summer) the law was made so that they could still change the price, but it would wind up costing them a ton as the price would stick for a lengthy period.
Feb 24 2011 1:11AM
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