CHICAGO — Happy hours are legal again in Illinois, but drinkers looking for new deals here will have to wait.

A little-known provision of the happy hour law signed Wednesday commands bars and restaurants to provide public notice of their drink promotions at least seven days in advance. That means the earliest legal happy hour in the state won't occur until at least July 22.

Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said the public notice was just one part of a "balanced, pragmatic" law that will allow Illinois bars to resume happy hour discounts since they were prohibited in 1989. He said the bars and restaurants that he represented here are "all good" with providing public notice as they look to regain a competitive edge against watering holes in other states that allow happy hours.

"We think we have a great balanced approach here, and this is all about Illinois and its tourism," Toia said.

David Matthews explains why you've got to wait a bit longer:

Other stipulations of the law prohibit happy hour specials after 10 p.m., and bars can't offer deals for more than four hours per day or 15 hours a week, Toia said. Two-for-one specials are also banned, and prices must "proportionately increase" with the alcohol content in drinks, Toia said.

Bars here won't have to report their happy hour specials to any government body, meaning the law simply compels them to publicize their own promotions in advance on their websites or their premises. Any businesses caught breaking the new state law will be policed by their respective municipalities, Toia said.

The association worked with several bar and restaurant groups to lobby the bill signed Wednesday. One of them was Chicago-based Four Corners Tavern Group, which runs several bars throughout the city including Schoolyard in Lakeview and Benchmark in Old Town.

Four Corners Director Ryan Indovina said his company didn't "have any issues" with the public notice provision and was currently figuring out what kind of happy hour specials it would promote.

"We're excited to try and offer a great environment for guests and see how it works," Indovina said.

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