Hoboken Bar Had Zero Sales In 1 Day During Dry January, Red Sox Pitcher/Bar Owner Says

HOBOKEN, NJ — The trend of "Dry January" may be healthy, but it's not so great for the health of the bar industry, says a Hoboken bar owner and former Red Sox pitcher.

In a popular video posted to TikTok on Monday, Hoboken resident Pat Light — a part-owner of Green Rock Tap & Grill and other area bar/restaurants — said, "Most people don't think about this when it comes to Dry January. For those of you new, I'm a bar owner here in Hoboken, New Jersey, which is just outside New York City."

The former Red Sock*, who was born in Colts Neck, goes on to say, "There was a legitimate day this past week that we did zero dollars in sales. ...The bar does very well most other days. But you just never see that, especially in a town like Hoboken. It's a drinking city. People like to go out."

He said it happened the day after New Year's Day, a Tuesday.

"Until I got into the industry, I never thought how slow the bars might be the week after New Year's Eve."

His group, the Light Group, has five Hoboken bar/restaurants under its umbrella. (Hoboken-based assemblyman and former chief of staff to Mayor Ravi Bhalla John Allen is the president of the group.)

During Dry January, health enthusiasts encourage people to cut down on alcohol and try "mocktails" without alcohol instead.

One commenter suggested to Light, "Doesn't this mean you should diversity your drink options and offer better non alcoholic drinks?"

Another said, "Bars should offer more non alcoholic choices besides water."

See the video here.