Owners across the country report that fewer guests are ordering cocktails, and that missing bar revenue is squeezing margins that were already razor thin. The slowdown is hitting neighborhood joints and big casual-dining chains alike. Chefs and operators from New York to Los Angeles say alcohol sales, long the highest-margin part of the check, have slipped enough to force changes in hours, menus and staffing.
Gen Z and younger millennials are generally drinking less than older generations and, when they do drink, are doing so more intentionally, prioritizing quality, flavor, and social context over quantity. That change is pushing bars and alcohol brands to design products for daytime moments, and reshaping how the industry defines a "drinking occasion."
With fewer folks relying on alcohol as a social lubricant, a healthier way to interact with others has gained traction. Enter "daylife," a term coined by the fitness social app Sweatpals. "Daylife" refers to daytime social outings involving alcohol-free fitness as a way to meet new people with similar interests. "It's just the concept of using wellness, using movement as a way to meet, as a way to get entertainment and to socialize, versus relying on alcohol,' Sweatpals co-founder Salar Shahini told HuffPost.
The average Thanksgiving meal, Johnson warned on social media, was "roughly equal in metabolic injury" to smoking seven cigarettes. He tabulated the average calories, fat, carbs, sugar, and salt of the typical spread, all high. And he painted a picture of the damage the meal would do to one's body: "massive glucose spikes," "oxidative stress," "immune suppression," "sleep disruption," and "acute endothelial dysfunction."
Finding your way with digital maps, making online bank transfers, looking things up on search engines Our digital habits are recent, yet so ingrained that going back to their analog versions feels unthinkable. Even something as ancient as flirting can now seem inseparable from screens. But a recent trend on social media suggests the story isn't over. A few months ago, a video titled Sit at the Bar September went viral.
