Where does eveyone stand on smoking bans?

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by TN_Chief

Totally agree. When I'm in a town with no-smoking laws I go out frequently. When I'm in a place that doesn't have them I stay home. It's basically the reverse of the economic argument that many smokers and business owners like to bring up.

Other then fact of all the businesses that went belly up in places that had the law go in effect..

Granted some places might get more businesses, is it really worth it to have other businesses go under for it??

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Valiant

Other then fact of all the businesses that went belly up in places that had the law go in effect..

Granted some places might get more businesses, is it really worth it to have other businesses go under for it??

You have some evidence of that happening? Sounds like a scare story to me.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

You have some evidence of that happening? Sounds like a scare story to me.

Plenty of first hand evidence on here of local bars closing because they lost their smoking crowds..

[TN_Chief]

Originally Posted by Valiant

Other then fact of all the businesses that went belly up in places that had the law go in effect..

Granted some places might get more businesses, is it really worth it to have other businesses go under for it??

Not to be flip, but businesses go under all the time. If your business is that reliant on one demographic it's probably not a real secure business to begin with.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by TN_Chief

Not to be flip, but businesses go under all the time. If your business is that reliant on one demographic it's probably not a real secure business to begin with.

When bars have been around for decades and then lose all their customers who went there to smoke and drink, they are losing their demographic..

How hard is it for nonsmokers not to go to a smoking bar??? and vice versa???

The business owners should be given a choice...

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Valiant

When bars have been around for decades and then lose all their customers who went there to smoke and drink, they are losing their demographic..

How hard is it for nonsmokers not to go to a smoking bar??? and vice versa???

The business owners should be given a choice...

The problem is that business owners are by and large too chicken s**t to tell a certain group (smokers) to not bother showing. Frankly they're just begging to get sued by a smoker.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

The problem is that business owners are by and large too chicken s**t to tell a certain group (smokers) to not bother showing. Frankly they're just begging to get sued by a smoker.

Bob Dole still thinks there is a grant opportunity in this whole thing. Big Tobacco ought to be willing to fund a study of 2 identical restaurant/bars on either side of a common parking lot, with rotating staff, where one business is smoke-free and the other has a smoking section. Compare apples to apples and see what kind of results come out of it.

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

Bob Dole still thinks there is a grant opportunity in this whole thing. Big Tobacco ought to be willing to fund a study of 2 identical restaurant/bars on either side of a common parking lot, with rotating staff, where one business is smoke-free and the other has a smoking section. Compare apples to apples and see what kind of results come out of it.

I'd really like to see some solid numbers on the fiscal effects of these bans. I have no idea where to even start looking for information that isn't coming from one side or the other.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

I'd really like to see some solid numbers on the fiscal effects of these bans. I have no idea where to even start looking for information that isn't coming from one side or the other.

Bob Dole is completely serious. If you could set up multiple situations geographically where there were otherwise equivalent choices, with the only difference being that one was completely smoke-free and the other had a smoking section, it could provide some interesting data.

You'd have to have one parking lot with a central entrance, identical decor and layout, rotate all the staff, etc... But you could track all sorts of data comparing the business of the two and come close to "settling" all this bullshit for good with actual numbers instead of opinion and anecdotal evidence.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

I'd really like to see some solid numbers on the fiscal effects of these bans. I have no idea where to even start looking for information that isn't coming from one side or the other.

FWIW, a buddy of mine owns a sports bar in a town here that imposed a smoking ban 1/1/2007.

I was there Tuesday for lunch and he told me his revenue increased by over 60% and is rising since the ban took effect. Seems the smokers stayed loyal, and dealt with the ban, while a new client base emerged from people that refused to go there before because the smoke was so bad.

Considering that only 21% of Americans smoke, I'm not sure why owners are complaining. There are 4 times as many non-smokers that could refuse to visit an establishment based on smoking being allowed, versus that small 1 in 5 they MIGHT lose when a ban takes effect.