Illinois' Happy Hour Guidelines
Yes, "Happy Hour" is Back, But with Certain Restrictions
Illinois hasn't had a Happy Hour since 1989,
when, following the lead of a few Chicago-area
municipalities, the state stuck down the practice in
efforts to curtail binge drinking in the state.
Reduced drink prices could still be offered, but the
deals had to run from open to close. But in
late May and early June 2015, the Illinois
legislature passed the Culinary and Hospitality
Modernization Act, an amendment to the Dram
Shop Act of 1934 that forms the foundation of
the state's laws on liquor liability.
The governor signed this bill into law on July 15th, 2015. Many people in the hospitality industry were triumphantly celebrating the passage of the bill and many of the basics were bandied about. But let's drill down into the actual nuts and bolts of the changes, so you understand the new letter of the law.
We have put together a comprehensive list and summary of the changes enacted by the bill. View the changes here. You can also browse the full amendment here.
The Illinois Liquor Control Commission has released this list of Frequently Asked Questions and their responses.
The BASSET training requirements enacted by the bill are being rolled out based on county population. We have put together the map below to help you find the date BASSET training will be mandatory for your business.
For information on getting your employees BASSET trained, check out our Liquor Training page. We are a state-approved BASSET training vendor for sellers & servers.
