(Smoking) Ban puts bars in the red

The Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colorado) ^ | 1/12/04 | Phillip Yates

[NorCoGOP]

Mary Whitman's bar and restaurant may not be able to afford the new smoking ban.

One month after the ordinance passed, Whitman, the manager of Roasty's Steakhouse, 920 8th Ave, said the restaurant's bar revenues have dropped 60 percent. One week after the ban went into effect, the bar made only $100 one day.

"All the time I have been here, we have never done that," said Whitman, who has worked at Roasty's for 10 years. "We have terminated one of our bartenders because of it."

Other Greeley bar owners and managers paint a bleak economic picture as well, with many saying they've suffered a significant decline in business since the smoking ordinance went into effect Dec. 4.

If someone lights up inside a Greeley bar, he or she faces up to $300 in penalties and a mandatory court appearance. Both the smoker and the establishment can be ticketed.

Vicki Tobel, owner of the Red Garter Lounge, 3621 10th St, said she has a loyal day crowd, but her business has still dropped 15 percent since the ordinance passed. What worries her most is the lounge's night crowd, where business has dropped 45 percent.

"Our night is just killing us," Tobel said.

She, like many other bar owners and managers, are unsure about the future.

"I don't know if I'll have to cut employees," Tobel said. "I don't know what my next step is."

Neither does Keith Johnson, owner of Cables End Italian Grille, 3780 10th St.

He hopes he doesn't have to let any employees go but said there has been a substantial drop in the restaurant's bar. Johnson said the bar did $10,000 less when he compared his November December sales.

Although some Greeley bars and restaurants might see red, others are staying in the black. Brenda Lucio, owner and manager of Coyote's Southwestern Grill, 5250 9th St. Drive, said business is good since the ordinance passed because the restaurant doesn't depend on liquor sales.

"I would be scared if I had a bar business," Lucio said.

Several Greeley bar owners said that there is an exodus of bar patrons to Garden City, Evans and other surrounding cities so they can smoke. But Alan Dean, owner of Bear's Sports Saloon, 2519 8th Ave., which is in unincorporated Weld County, says the increase in business has been small.

"Business seems to be improving week by week," he said.

The dreary effect of the smoking ban for some Greeley bar owners and managers is in sharp contrast with a survey conducted by the Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution (GASP) of Colorado that was published in the Jan. 4 edition of the Tribune.

GASP is a Boulder-based anti-smoking organization that works to educate the public against the dangers of second-hand smoke and to promote smoke-free environments. The survey quoted bar owners, managers and employees at the Paragon Family Restaurant and Cable's End Italian Grille as saying that the ordinance was "going well" or "doing OK" at their respective restaurants. Both owners disputed the quotations.

GASP president Pete Bialick said the survey was informal and not official.

Bialick said GASP conducts the survey in communities where smoking ordinances pass to update the organization's list of all the smoke-free restaurants and bars in Colorado towns. Despite some bar owners' claims the ordinance is pushing revenue down, Bialick disagrees.

"These ordinances don't affect the bottom line," he said, saying that studies based on sales taxes in more than 100 communities show smoking ordinances don't diminish bar and restaurant owners' bottom lines. He disputed the fact that bar owners say revenues are going down since Greeley passed the smoking ban.

"They are using it as a scapegoat," Bialick said. "The tobacco industry is behind this. They are probably getting paid to say that."

[Senormechanico]

I quit smoking in 1970, but I am 100% against this ban.
Let the establishment's owner decide whether or not it is to be a nonsmoking establishment!!

SM

[NorCoGOP]

Just for clarity - this ban applies to any business, including private clubs, fraternal organizations, etc...

Several Greeley businesses have tried to apply for exemptions, including a bowling alley that before the ban was even considered, installed an air filtration system at a cost of $60,000, and the owner proved that the air IN his building (with smokers present) was cleaning than the air OUTSIDE IN GREELEY.

The City Council rejected the exemptions outright.

Can't wait for the next election!

[Guillermo]

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

[swarthyguy]

The local town here even banned it in the VFW and KoC.

Despite veterans pleas, the scumbag "health" ninnynannies refuse to bend to some of the last vets from WW2 and Normandy DDay.

[CSM]

"We have terminated one of our bartenders because of it."

---

And the gnatzies are so happy that this bartender's lungs will not be exposed to ETS while standing in the unemployment line sucking on government tits!

[Orangedog]

I wonder how long it will take the local government to start talking about a tax increase to make up for the lost revenue that always happens when these ordinacnes pass?

[Arkinsaw]

The local town here even banned it in the VFW and KoC. Despite veterans pleas, the scumbag "health" ninnynannies refuse to bend to some of the last vets from WW2 and Normandy DDay.

The solution here is to ignore the ban. Let the city come and arrest the veterans. In fact, every veteran, whether they are a smoker or not should light up and call the police.

[antiRepublicrat]

I quit smoking in 1970, but I am 100% against this ban.

I was an ardent non-smoker when these bans started and was 100% against any legislated smoking ban, but private business decisions on smoking were perfectly okay. Just because it was something I wouldn't do didn't mean I had the right to boss others around.

[Gabz]

there are more and more articles like this appearing everywhere smoking bans are placed in effect, yet no one is paying attention.

Why??????

Because as soon as you get one of these supposed grassroots anti-smoker groups, such as GASP in this article, involved in these disputes they are able to convince the powers to be that the bar owners are wrong.

Why?????

Because they are highly funded organizations that put out slick brochures detailing all thesupposed "harms" of second hand smoke and the supposed "good" to business bottom lines with these bans.

As usual the anti-smokers speak out of both sides of their mouth. They scream bloody murder that the economic damage to business should not come before the health benefits of the bans - the sound bite phrase is "health over wealth." Yet when they are called on the so-called proof of health benefits, they immediately switch to their bogus studies of tax receipts to show the economic benefits of such bans.

Which is it health or money? In the end it is all about money to the antis. Groups like GASP get funding grants to push these anti smoking bans. Be afraid, be very afraid of these groups.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

But...but...but...I thought there were scores and scores of non-smokers who couldn't go to these establishments because of all the smoke?

I thought there were a multitude of them who REFUSED to go out to eat because certain establishments allowed smoking?

I thought they were looking forward to the ban, so they could go out and dine in pristine comfort?

Where'd they all go?

[Abe Froman]

"They are using it as a scapegoat," Bialick said. "The tobacco industry is behind this. They are probably getting paid to say that."

And you are an ideologically neutral non-paid volunteer for GASP?!?! The hypocrisy is deafening.

[Cardini]

Same thing is happening here in Fl where a similar law started in July.

I have little sympathy for the restaurant owners here because they made no effort to fight it before election while the anti smoking folks spent Millions running adds every commercial break.

[Fast 1975]

Cigarette smoking is no advantage to your body at all. This habit destroys your lungs (in God's temple) causes all kinds of cancer and decreases your life span, thus shorting the time you can serve God on this earth. So every time you light up as a Christian, you're tearing apart God's temple, decreasing your time to serve God and throwing away God's money.

[Fast 1975]

Cigarette smoking is no advantage to your body at all. This habit destroys your lungs (in God's temple) causes all kinds of cancer and decreases your life span, thus shorting the time you can serve God on this earth. So every time you light up as a Christian, you're tearing apart God's temple, decreasing your time to serve God and throwing away God's money.

[Fast 1975]

As the Bible says to Christians: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you have been bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) This being so, a Christian should care for their body; they should not do anything which they know will harm it. The smoking of cigarettes has been proven to cause cancer, heart problems, emphysema and death.

[Protagoras]

Nice rant. Irrelevant, but nice rant.

[Protagoras]

The subject is property rights. Stay on topic or start your own preaching thread.

[Fast 1975]

Our Christian founding fathers developed the concept of property rights out of the Judeo-Christian tradition-
"Rights come from God- not human beings" Alan Keyes 1996

[Protagoras]

Alan was correct, at least you are back on topic.

The founders were not all Christian, some were, some weren't.

"Thou shalt not steal" established property rights.

Between humans, the right to control your own property was agreed upon.