The Facts About The Smoking Ban. If you're a business owner or not, this is a must read!

The Facts Online ^ | 11-01-03 | Dave Hitt

[SheLion]

Every company's greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company.
- Michael LeBoeuf

Businesses Harmed by Smoking Bans

Anti-smoking organizations insist that bans are somehow good for people in hospitality businesses. This chart shows otherwise. These businesses have lost a significant portion of their business as a direct result of smoking bans. Many are closed. Many that are still open have told us they doubt they'll survive much longer.

Most of this information comes directly from businesses that have contacted me or my colleagues. Some comes from newspaper articles. Blank spaces in the chart represent data that is unavailable, or that doesn't apply. (For instance, a distributor doesn't receive tips, and many owner-operators of small taverns don't have any employees other than themselves and family members.)

Business	Type Of Business	Closed?	Business Lost	Tips Lost	Jobs Lost	City	State
Crocodile Cafe	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Tempe	AZ
Pooch's Easy Street Billiards	Pool Hall	Closed	100%	100%		Tempe	AZ
Laurel Bowl	Bowling Alley	Closed	100%	100%		San Luis Obispo	CA
385 league bowlers quit when the smoking ban went into effect, with a loss of $200,000. Laurel Bowl had been in business for 37 years before the ban.
Alexander Mackenzie Inn	Hotel	Not Yet	92%		16	Fort St. John	CAN
"Since we were `beaten' into compliance by the WCB, our business has dropped in the lounge from $1,000 a day to $80. "
Beacon Hill Arms	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		Ottawa	CAN
Dave O'Connor, who successfully ran Ottawa's Beacon Hill Arms pub for nine years, said the ban forced him out of business. "From September to February, we lost close to $80,000 in sales"
Bud's Place	Tavern	Not Yet	23%			Cambrage	CAN
Gardeli's	Bar/Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Castlegar	CAN
Hemingway's	Bar/Restaraunt	Not Yet	40%		6	Ottawa	CAN
MacKenzie Lounge	Tavern	Not Yet	80%			Yellowknife	CAN
Mingles Coffee Shoppe	Coffee Shop	Closed	100%	100%		Kitchener	CAN
Rupert Pub	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		Prince Rupert	CAN
Sky Garden	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%	6	Ottawa	CAN
"It was 100% because of the bylaw. Sales dropped 50%. Our cups of coffee were down 400 to 500 a day, our meals 20 to 30 a day."
The Patch	Tavern	Not Yet	70%			St. Albert	CAN
Tubbys Pizza	Pizza Parlor	Not Yet	20%		2	Crescentwood	CAN
Back Stage Cafe	Bar/Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%	20	Wilmington	DE
Coach House	Bar/Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%	8	Wilmington	DE
Just Mugs Saloon	Tavern	Not Yet	33%			Bear	DE
Naamans Cafe	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%	8	Wilmington	DE
Elks #1795	Lodge (Private Club)	Not Yet	40%	22%		Fort Walton	FL
"Charity money is down 45%. Our Charities are Kids of Florida and the Veterans. That is who is really getting hurt the most by this!"
Elks #2256	Lodge (Private Club)	Not Yet	20%	30%		Pensacola Beach	FL
"We've lost 70 members because of the ban"
Elks #2273	Lodge (Private Club)	Not Yet	60%	60%	1	Plantation	FL
Melons Bar & Grill	Bar/Restruant	Not Yet	50%			Port Charlotte	FL
The Falls	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Naples	FL
"We lost 70 percent of our income," Renzello said. "The law put us out of business." 90 percent of her customers were smokers.
Bart's	Bar/Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Louisville	CO
Bart's had been in operation for nearly 30 years.
Gold Mine Restaraunt	Bar/Restaraunt	Not Yet	50%	50%	2	Fall River	MA
"There should be places for both the smoker and nonsmoker. I do not smoke but you are killing our business!!! "
Buffalo Wings and Beer	Bar/Restruant	Not Yet	50%			Gaithersburg	MD
Gentleman Jim's	Restaurant	Not Yet	40%			Gaithersburg	MD
J.J. Muldoon's	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	20%			Gaithersburg	MD
Middlebrook Restaurant and Lounge	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	50%			Germantown	MD
"I'm so bitter today because I have worked too hard to keep this business going. It's just not fair."
Pelican Pete's	Restaurant	Not Yet	60%			Germantown	MD
Tommy Joe's Restaurant	Restruant	Not Yet	30%			Bethesda	MD
Nutshell Tavern	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		Biddeford	ME
Village Variety		Closed	100%			Fryeburg	ME
Grandma's	Restaraunt	Not Yet	33%			Cloquet	MN
Perkins	Restaraunt	Not Yet	26%			Duluth	MN
Aessa	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	35%		6	New York	NY
Argyle's EasyStreet Tavern	Tavern	Not Yet	12%			Cortland	NY
Athens Cafe	Restaurant	Not Yet	55%		10	Astoria	NY
Blessed Sacrament Church	Bingo	Not Yet	50%			Albany	NY
Brazen Head Pub	Tavern	Not Yet	40%			Monroe	NY
Brown Shanty	Tavern	Not Yet	20%		1	Watertown	NY
Champions Billiards Cafe	Brew Pub/Pool Hall	Not Yet	33%			Parkville	NY
Chili American Legion Post 1830	Private Club	Not Yet	70%			Scottsville	NY
Coleman's Irish Pub	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	19%		4	Syracuse	NY
Crossroads Steak House	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Kennedy	NY
Delmar Sportsman's Tavern	Tavern	Not Yet	30%		1	Massena	NY
"We had hoped...nonsmokers who haven't been frequenting taverns due to the smoke-filled air would make up for at least some of the financial loss. Unfortunately, at least in our place, this has most definitely not happened. Our sales are at an all time low"
Desperado's	Tavern	Not Yet	90%			Wallkill	NY
"I can count on my fingers the people who don't smoke who come in here. The regulars say they won't come."
Dodesters	Tavern	Not Yet	9%			Syracuse	NY
Eagle Beverage Company	Distributor	Not Yet	25%	N/A		Oswego	NY
"Deliveries to pubs and taverns have decreased substantially, greater than 25 percent."
Edigan's	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Binghamton	NY
End Zone	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	30%		1	Liverpool	NY
Euzkadi	Restaurant	Not Yet	50%			New York	NY
Fiddler's Green	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		New York	NY
We have just lost too many customers to this law, which I did not vote for, bar owners did not vote for, bartenders did not vote for, and the public did not vote for."
Finish Line	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	40%		2	Bellerose	NY
Fountain Bowl	Bowling Alley	Not Yet	40%	N/A	8	Jamestown	NY
Golden Rail Ale House	Tavern	Not Yet	75%			Newburgh	NY
Harry's Hanover Square	Bar/Restaraunt	Closed	100%	100		New York	NY
"Overnight, we lost 60 percent of our evening bar trade. For the bar, it was the difference in profit and loss. Sales of expensive cigars had been almost as important as the sales of Scotch" Harry's had been in business for more than thirty years
Holmes & Watson's	Tavern	Not Yet	30%			Troy	NY
Hotel McDonald	Hotel	Not Yet	70%			Bath	NY
Just One More	Tavern	Not Yet	30%			Bath	NY
Liberty Lanes	Bowling	Not Yet	27%			Camden	NY
Mama Lena's	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Binghamton	NY
Mama Lena's had been in business for more than 40 years.
Mel's Place	Tavern	Not Yet	78%	100%		Falconer	NY
"When we bought this place, we throught we were buying our American Dream. We ran it successfully for 10 years. Now the government is stripping us from making a living. "
Middleport Inn	Bar/Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%	13	Middleport	NY
"This damn state really knows how to kill people's dreams."
Millennium	Restaurant	Not Yet	40%		3	New York	NY
Nibsy's Pub	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	18%			Syracuse	NY
Rafferty's	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	35%		2	Syracuse	NY
Richard's Ole Timer	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	17%		1	Clay	NY
Roesch's Tavern	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%	5	New York	NY
This had been a family business for more than a century
Salingers	Tavern	Not Yet	35%		2	Rochester	NY
Sevens Bar	Tavern	Not Yet	10%			Malone	NY
Shamrock Tavern	Tavern	Not Yet	50%			Oswego	NY
"It's not right. Our livelihood is being taken away."
Slade	Restaurant	Not Yet	40%			New York	NY
Slick Willie's	Billiard Hall	Not Yet	25%			Tonawanda	NY
Stumble Inn	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		Champlain	NY
Taylor's Trackside	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	50%			Remsen	NY
Temple Israel	Bingo	Not Yet	50%			Albany	NY
According to Herb Holland, some of the regulars told volunteers that they would abstain from playing bingo, to protest the smoking ban. He hasn't seen them since.
The Lilly Pad	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		Falconer	NY
The Lodge at the Lake Inc	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	50%		1	Broadalbin	NY
The Loft	Tavern	Not Yet	30%			Frewsburg	NY
"Our town has no attractions to draw in outsiders. We have only locals to rely on as patrons and 95% of them smoke. It will be worse when the snow sets in."
The Roadhouse	Tavern	Not Yet	40%			Brewster	NY
Thompson Road Tavern	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	25%			Syracuse	NY
Village Tavern	Bar/Restaurant	Not Yet	10%			Marcellus	NY
Bliss' Steak Ranch	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100%		Eugene	OR
Closed after 32 years in business
Doc's Pad	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%	24	Eugene	OR
"Let's face it, the economy is horrible. But for us specifically, the smoking ban was the knockout punch." The Olsen family had owned Doc's for 16 years.
Max's Tavern	Tavern	Closed	100%	100%		Eugene	OR
The Peacock	Tavern	Not Yet	40%			Corvallis	OR
Connor owned the Peacock for years - and says it was the ban that caused him to sell the bar. He says business gross fell from $1.5 million in 1997, the year before the ban went into effect, to $900,000 last year.
China One	Restaurant	Closed	100%	100		Round Rock	TX

CAN=Canada

If your business has been harmed by a smoking ban, or if you know of one that has been, please let us know. If possible, have the owner contact us. Newspaper articles are also welcome. Please include the URL. .

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Last Update: Saturday, November 01, 2003

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[TheOtherOne]

You picked the most egregious examples of government abuse that were not punished. Most of our government functions without resorting to lethal force. You chose to ignore that part of our 200 year history and focus on this? There are also many examples of government abuse being punished.

[TheOtherOne]

Who in government was punished when Elian was seized?

Not to get sidetracked, but I agree with the decision to return Elian to his father. I disagree with the method used.

[CSM]

"Most of our government functions without resorting to lethal force."

Only because of the fact that most members of society submit before force is imposed. All of our government is willing to act with force if we don't submit before it gets to that point.

[TheOtherOne]

I see you just blew off the public vs. private property

Any privately owned business that invites the general public into its premesis is semi-public. This is why you cannot discrimiate against blacks, women, gays, etc. There are certain obligations that attach when inviting the public on to your premisis. Just by virture of your private ownership does not allow you to make up all of the rules. Would I ever support smoking bans in private homes and cars, absolutely not. Would I support resonable restrictions in places of public accomdation, you bet.

[CSM]

"Any privately owned business that invites the general public into its premesis is semi-public."

Can you show me in the constitution where this is explained?

It's miller time for me, have a good weekend.

[TheOtherOne]

Can you show me in the constitution where this is explained?

Not everything is in the Constitution. It is years of case law.

[Gabz]

He is one of the most dangerous breed of American.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who reads him that way!!!!

[Mears]

$33.00 for two dinners is first class? If you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

By the way,what you spend for dinner is what I spend but I consider it moderate,if not budget,dining.

I have a son who takes me to a first class restaurant with an a la carte menu and we never get out of there for less than $100.00,not including wine.

[Mears]

There is a book called "Mornings on Horseback" by David McCullough which is about the early years of Teddy Roosevelt.

T.R. was an asthmatic child from a very wealthy New York family and had the best doctors money could buy. His doctors had this child smoke cigars when he had an asthma attack---they also used black coffee.

I'm not for a moment endorsing any of this but T.R. lived an active life for many years after this treatment by some of the best known asthma specialists of that time.

Again,I'm just adding this to the discussion of asthma and smoking,not endorsing this type of treatment.

[Eastbound]

Hard-copied for local distribution. Thank you very much, Shelion. Still owe you a song. :)

[Gabz]

One NYC bouncer has already been killed attempting to enforce Bloomberg's Folly.

And how many more will have to be assaulted or die before these azzholes, including some people right here on FR, get it throught their thick skulls government mandated smoking bans are just plain WRONG?????????

[Gabz]

Their attempt to equate annoying smell with toxicity is the reason they reject the principle of the Permissable Exposure Limit, which is the cornerstone of all other occupational toxicity exposure regulations.

That statement needs to be repeated repeatedly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gabz]

I'm roaring laughing.

I'm the only one on this thread who has any verifiable knowlege of what has happened to the local bars/taverns in Delaware.

I seriously doubt that cinnie has spent any more time in Delaware in his life than it takes on I-95 to get to the Jersey turnpike.

[cinFLA]

I seriously doubt that cinnie has spent any more time in Delaware in his life than it takes on I-95 to get to the Jersey turnpike.

I seriously doubt that Gabz has spent as much time in school as she has spent in bars.

[cinFLA]

And how many more will have to be assaulted or die before these azzholes, including some people right here on FR, get it throught their thick skulls government mandated smoking bans are just plain WRONG?????????

Thankfully we can now work in a smoke-free enviornment and go to a smoke-free restaurant and then to a smoke-free movie and then top it off with a drink at a smoke-free bar while traveling around in a smoke-free car and returning to a smoke-free house. NICE!

[cinFLA]

"Bliss' Steak Ranch Restaurant Closed 100% 100% Eugene OR "

Owner admits that recession and 9/11 were major factors in a business downturn BEFORE smoke ban enacted.

Seems his smokers deserted him BEFORE the smoking ban. hmmm

[Gabz]

California should fall into the Pacific - but that not withstanding - what goes in Kookiefornication does not go everwhere else.

Someone buying a NEW liquor license isn't appealing to any appeal for more non-smoking bars just dealing with life.

Now tell us how many OLD liquor licenses were NOT renewed. I doubt you will because your nico-gnatzie controllers not only don't give you that info.

[Gabz]

Was the number that I tried changed or did I call the wrong location?

I can't answer either question.

[Gabz]

""As I explained in another post "cinnie" is correct the Coach House is open and serving lunch -""

Thank you.

What a sleazy thing to say.

You refuse to acknowlege my full post in regard to the Coach House, but have the gall to attempt sarcasm on someone that has first hand knowlege of the situation????

Typical anti-smoker tactic - was it Cherner or Glantz that gave you your lessons???

[Doc On The Bay]

GOSH!;-- It's AMAZING How Much the Human Body can Tolerate!

Most Humans living in the "Ohio River Valley" suffer "Lung Problems" by the time they are 45 years old!

The "Bad Air" from the Coal-Fired Steel Plants is unavoidable!

A BAD situation!

THEN--of course--there are "Smokers!"

The 70+ year study of companions of "Smokers" FAILED to show ANY DIFFERENCE between those who were exposed to "second-hand Smoke," & those who were Not!!

GASP!!!

That MEANS, that "Second-hand Cigarette Smoke" had NO EFFECT on Those "Exposed to It!!"

CLEARLY the "Science" MUST BE "Incorrect!!"

After All--we All know that "second-Hand Smoke" is as DEADLY as AIDS!!

----Don't We??---

Perhaps we OUGHT To ACTUALLY CHECK the "Science."

Sometimes "Popular, Media-Driven Belief," isn't QUITE true!

Perhaps the "Anti-Smoking" Agenda isn't ENTIRELY "Altruistic???"

There's "LIES, DAMN LIES, & STATISTICS;" so WHY should ANYONE be Telling Us "The Truth??"

We're NOT STUPID; Whenever ANYONE attempts to tell Us something we already know, we OUGHT TO BE suspicious!!

OF COURSE "Smoking" isn't "Good for You--" we have known that for Decades; WHY has the "issue" become SO IMPORTANT at this time??

I Smell a "Political Agenda!!"

Doc