Created by a 30-something Kihei bartender, the Maui Happy Hours app this week saw it’s 10,000th download, with Valley Isle restaurants offering daily discounts despite the economic pressures of the pandemic.
“Very few apps ever break a thousand downloads, so 10,000 was a big number for us,” said founder Russell Snyder. “We’re all blown away by the success of the app and incredibly grateful to the Maui community for embracing it.”
Maui is home to many world-class restaurants, which often offer a “happy hour,” which is a period of time where food and drinks are sold at a reduced price.
Snyder was a frequent guest of local Maui restaurants and enjoyed their various happy hours. But it was nearly impossible to keep up with them all, and he realized that many of the smaller, local establishments had a great happy hour that nobody knew about.
So Snyder and a group of friends set out to solve this problem by compiling the happy hour information from all over Maui into one easy-to-use mobile app, aptly entitled Maui Happy Hours.
Available for free download in the Apple App Store and Google Play, Maui Happy Hours lists happy hour information, menus, photos, and insider tips from over 100 Maui restaurants, bars, and businesses. Users can browse by time, city, and region, or search for their favorite items such as “margaritas” or “tacos.”
Some of the most popular establishments on the app include Maui Brewing Co., Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman, Tommy Bahama Restaurant, and Fleetwood’s on Front Street. Whether users are in Kihei, Wailea, Lahaina, Ka’anapali, Kahului, or elsewhere on Maui, the Maui Happy Hours app most likely has a listing in thje area.
On the future of Maui restaurants in the face of COVID-19, Snyder offered an optimistic outlook.
“Obviously, 2020 was devastating for Maui restaurants. But now, as we are reopening the island to tourism, most of our restaurants have reopened as well. I think 2021 will be very exciting for all of us,” he said.
Those who wish to download the app can visit Maui Happy Hours on the App Store, Maui Happy Hours on Google Play, or the official ebsite.