Don’t be a drink hog: The point isn’t to down as many pints as possible in two hours; no one appreciates the guy at the bar ordering four cocktails at a time. This isn’t a competition to see who can score the most cheap stuff in the time allotted; there are game shows for that.

Don’t be a food hog, either: If your happy hour joint is generous enough to offer free nosh, don’t ruin it for everyone else by loading up your plate and eating it all. Good God, man, keep an energy bar on you or something.

Don’t wait until the last minute: If happy hour ends at 7 p.m., and you show up with your crew at 6:45 expecting to order a dozen drinks and a passel of apps, you are the reason people in the service industry burn out. Stop it.

Don’t take a date: Unless you met in a coupon-clipping chatroom, happy hour is not an appropriate venue for a first—or even a fifth—date. We understand the impulse to keep it casual and low-pressure, but that’s what a coffee shop is for.