Oh Generation Z, you continue to bedevil. Millennials just don't understand you. First, we panicked because we heard that you're not going to bars at all, then we heard you're going to bars, but they're swanky ones on the Upper East Side. Then we found out that even when you like to go out, you don't drink as much as we do when you do it. Then this weekend, a New York Times article reported that you're refusing to keep your tabs open at bars, to the chagrin of bar owners facing mounting credit card fees.
The drinking habits of Gen Z, like everything they do, are a topic of endless fascination for their forebears.
"When I was in my early 20s in New York City, people were falling down the steps every night. It was terrible. But everyone was just drinking all night: Shots. Beers. Tequila. Four Loko," Paragon owner John Barlcay told Hell Gate earlier this year. "Alcohol was so important to everyone's social experience. And now—again, it looks like for the betterment of humanity—people have moderated their drinking."
This rift between generations? Like a Zoomer's tab, we intend to close it. Open your tab, open your mind. As a public service, just in time for the summer, we present Hell Gate's best practices when it comes to going to bars. This guide is not just for Zoomers, but for anyone who enjoys hanging out.