Not a sit down restaurant, but we saw in a Florence travel youtube video some huge and wonderful looking sandwiches for 8 and 9euro. (Could be enough food for two, especially if being topped off with gelatto). Evidentially there are a lots of shops that have them. Not sure if we’ll end up eating then in the street or taking them back to our apartment… but looking forward to it.
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We had those sandwiches one afternoon. The lines were long but if you go mid afternoon they aren’t as bad. We didn’t share but they are filling. I think we had gelato almost everyday.
Last night we stopped for dinner on our way home from a driving trip. We each had two tacos no rice and beans. The tacos were huge. I think we would have been close to $12.00 each if my husband hadn’t ordered a beer without a tip.
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I worked with a guy who knew which night every restaurant in his area had ‘kids eat free.’ He and his wife didn’t cook and they ate out every night. This was 30 years ago when probably the whole family could eat for $20 if kids ate free.
I just stopped at a new ice cream shop to try a chocolate shake. It was $11. 
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But they can probably justify that price by the fact that it provides full daily calorie amount for an average person! 
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I live in a college town in the Mid-Atlantic. Many restaurants (of varying price levels) still have happy hour specials, and/or night of the week deals.
Maybe the ubiquitousness depends on the town/city/area of the country?
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The People’s Republic of Massachusetts doesn’t allow happy hours.
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There are happy hours ant restaurants everywhere in San Diego. One of my preferred activities!
Happy hour for beverages is gone here. They can offer food happy hour deals, but not alcohol.
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Where I am happy hour varies from place to place. Some have drink specials, some 1/2 bottles of wine on certain nights, some food specials.
If you follow the specials on a given night it is possible to get a meal in a restaurant with table service for less than $12. Not sure with alchohol, but probably a non-alcoholic beverage.
If happy hour disappeared where I live, I’d have to move. 
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I thought if this thread yesterday during my bday dinner. We went to the place I listed in the beginning. Each of our entrees were $10.95. But since it was special, we got an appetizer and also diet cokes. Total after tax, but pre-tip was $40.
But I was also pleasantly surprised that the suggested tips started at 15%! And the other choices were 20 and 30.
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Oh good point. Some places do discount the price of a bottle of wine on certain days. But they don’t use the “happy hour” verbiage.
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Early 90’s in college we used to frequent a place that was $0.10 wings and $1 drafts on Monday nights. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to get sick (non-alcohol related). Not fish but anytime I see a “really good deal” run on only one night of the week it makes me consider those days. Cheap meal, but you’re going to pay in other ways.
DH and his brother would occasionally go to the “all you can eat” deals in college. I think they got their money’s worth.
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Ladies nights were how I survived in college. I bought a 10 pound bag of potatoes and butter buds. Those were my lunches and dinners every night except for the $1 all you can eat ladies nights. You’d probably be horrified at how many cheese sticks I could consume in one sitting, lol.
We were surprised on our last weekend trip away that one of the restaurants we went to had Happy Hour. It was small plates and some bottled beer. They only had a beer and wine license so no mixed drinks. I remember going to coffee shops with my Mom and the early bird senior meals. I haven’t seen that in years.
My daughter just went to a favorite steak place near her home. They don’t go often as it’s speedy. She was looking forward to something that is on their HappyHour menu. They had changed the policy that Happy Hour menu was only in the bar area not the main dining room. They had their 9 month old who wasn’t allowed in the bar area. (Bar area has tables)
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What is with this banning happy hour??? Without happy hour, we’d never go out.
IMO, The best thing that has happened for restaurant customers is online reviews. Being in the business, reviews for our restaurant are make and break for success. You could get away with marginally safe food back in the nineties, but now that place would quickly be exposed. With that said, there are deals to be had.
We’re in a high-end market, and one of our strategies to get discovered was offering a burger night: 15 bucks, a burger, and a draft or glass of house wine. Besides getting people in the door, it’s when they order the second beer or a side of fries, or one person gets the burger and the other orders an entre; your loss leader special is doing its job.
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Had to chime back in on this thread… we don’t eat much fast food, when we do it’s usually in n out, yum. Last night we were in a pinch and needed to feed our 16 year old something and all we could find was a Carl’s Jr. He ordered a chicken stars medium sized meal and it was $12.48! His chocolate shake was another $5 
What the heck???