Skip to content

Victoria resident creates website to map out more than 100 local happy hour spots

Inspired by a trip to the U.S., Jordan Caron’s idea began to take shape in 2014
22194719_web1_drinks-2578446_1920
Ultimate Happy Hour lists daily food specials, along with daily and late night happy hour spots across Victoria. (Pixabay photo)

A Victoria resident has created a website that lists and maps out more than 100 local happy hours to help people find the best deals in the city.

The idea for Ultimate Happy Hour, created by Jordan Caron, started to take shape in 2014 when new rules were introduced in the province to allow licensed bars and restaurant to change their prices during the day. Caron purchased the domain name but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with it until he took a trip to the U.S., then he and a friend began mapping out what the site would actually look like.

READ ALSO: Oak Bay residents on Westdowne take happy hour to the limit

“I’m in web marketing and I do search engine marketing for clients, social media stuff. And I’m always looking for side projects,” says Caron, who spends anywhere from 10 to 20 hours per month updating the site. “It’s so cheap and easy to get a website up, so I’ll just kind of throw stuff at the wall and see if something sticks.”

The site has grown to list other cities’ happy hours, including Austin, Nanaimo and Edmonton to name a few. And while Caron isn’t making any money off the site just yet, he has hopes for the future.

He recalls a scene in the movie The Social Network that struck a chord with him.

READ ALSO: Victoria’s median asking rent for one-bedroom hits $1,600

“Shawn Fanning and Mark Zuckerberg are talking about the guy who sold Victoria’s Secret for a million dollars, and three years later when it sold for [far more money] he committed suicide,” says Caron. “He was basically telling Zuckerberg to not monetize this thing because it’s a billion-dollar idea, not a million-dollar idea.”

On the site, people can view a map of all the happy hours across Greater Victoria, along with a list of daily food and drink specials and late-night happy hours.

Everybody loves a good happy hour,” he says, adding that his favourite is at Cafe Mexico. “The bars usually fill up, there’s a good energy, there’s a good vibe and obviously saving money on drinks and food is a bonus especially right now, as a lot of restaurants have increased their prices a little bit to make up for lost revenues,” he says.

To see a list of happy hours in Victoria visit ultimatehappyhours.com/location/victoria.


 

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca. Follow us on Instagram.  Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.