Smoking ban: the impact on restaurant reviews

Michigan has banned smoking in restaurants and bar, which means some bars and restaurants noted for being smoky have a need to attract new customers, bring back old customers that have left because the place was too smoky, or find ways to accommodate their regulars who are used to smoking.

Here's a list of some new reviews, gathered from the Internet, showing some reactions to the environment in newly smoke-free places around town that were previously noted for their smoky atmosphere.

Fraser's Pub is a neighborhood pub on Packard Street. Among other things it was known for how smoky it was, with reviews on Yelp noting even that it had a cigarette machine.

Alice Ralph: "We settled in with a friend (a former smoker) and felt an unfamiliar ease from breathing air minus smoke. Some other "regulars" were there, but suddenly we realized that at the very next table were neighbors that we had never seen at Fraser's. That made a total of five people we knew, who chose to try a neighborhood business that night, mainly because of the ban on smoking. It's as if Fraser's is making new friends and keeping the old. We are looking forward to more of that in our neighborhood and all around town."

John Hritz: "First trip to the newly non-smoking Fraser's was cool. We really liked the thin crust Pub Pizza."

Two reviews of Knight's on Yelp, from before and after the smoking ban, are illustrative.

Tyler B, writing on May 6: "But that doesn't give you any sense of what Knights is about. It's a steakhouse. Not a place that serves steak. Steakhouse. The drinks are strong and the meat is tasty. If you're looking for something else, you're in the wrong place. And hey, Michigan is smoke free now, so the reviewers who didn't like that aspect, congrats. You've lessened my Scorsese analogy."

Michael F, writing on April 2, 2010, before the ban: "...you have to wade through the smokers to get to non-smoking, so be prepared to lose your appetite if you object to smoke, and to smell like cigarette and cigar smoke until you can wash your hair and burn your clothing."

Ashley's on State Street is taking the smoking ban in stride with its Smoke-Free Smoked Beer Fest. It is serving many varieties of smoked beers, including Stone’s Smoked Porter, Original Gravity’s 440 Pepper Smoker, New Holland’s Charkoota Smoked Rye Doppelbock, Schlenkerla Fastenbier and more.

Smoked beers are produced with malt that has been roasted over an open flame, which imparts a smokiness which The British Guide to German Beer says is reminiscent of Lapsang Souchong tea.

Royal Canadian Legion Maple Leaf Post-84 in Royal Oak, about 45 minutes northeast of Ann Arbor, is organizing an effort to exempt private veteran's clubs from the smoking ban.

Congrats to Michigan, writes Erich from SmokeFree Wisconsin. "Great work to the all the advocates in Michigan. Your work will make an impact on the future generations!"

Edward Vielmetti no longer has to enjoy second hand smoke while having breakfast at the Fleetwood Diner.

If smoking bans actually increase business -- then free-market forces alone would cause some bars and restaurants to declare themselves smoke-free. The heavy hand of government would not be needed.

There would be sufficient smoke-free bars and restaurants to meet the demand for such. There would still be some smoking bars & restaurants -- because the value of allowing smoking would rise, as the supply of such establishments declined. These regulations are not about enabling bars and restaurants to get more customers. They are about nanny-state fascist control.

BTW, I'm not a "smokie" & I happen to prefer eating in a smoke-free restaurant -- I'm not so particular about it if I'm just drinking. I'm also content to allow "smokies" to indulge their habit, in separate areas. Complete bans were not needed.

BTW 2 -- this is just the beginning. Vancouver, BC went from smoking bans in restaurants, then bars and restaurants -- now, there's even a ban on smoking outdoors in parks. It won't end, until there's a complete ban on smoking indoors & outdoors. Smoking tobacco will still be legal though (ha! Ha!).

Here in PA, there is somewhat of a ban on smoking in bars/restaurants. However, for whatever reason, the magic of our government run casino seems to negate the harsh, deadly effects of second hand smoke ... you can smoke your guts out there ... again, government magic :-)!

I e-smoke. I had some crazy lady throw a fit once when she found out it was water vapor and not “toxic second hand death”. She almost looked disappointed.

I really wish they would ban tobacco sales all together ... I am sick and tired of these damn restrictions they place on a legal product. Seriously, if it is so deadly, grow some cajones and promote to ban the damn substance like the rest of these illicit drugs out there!!!! However, if they do that, they risk undoing everything they’ve accomplished over the past 30 years.

Restaurants, bars gain business under smoke ban

By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff | April 4, 2005

Sales and employment at Massachusetts restaurants and bars grew slightly during the first six months of a statewide smoking ban, disproving predictions that the prohibition would inflict serious damage on the hospitality industry, Harvard researchers are scheduled to report today.

As part of the study, analysts from the Harvard School of Public Health tested the air in 27 bars and restaurants both before and after the ban went into effect last July 5. The result: Dangerous cancer-causing toxins plummeted by 93 percent once cigarettes, cigars, and pipes were banished.

The findings arrive as the campaign to eliminate smoking from its last indoor public havens gains momentum not just nationally but globally, with European nations, led by Ireland, moving to extinguish the tradition of a Scotch and a smoke at pubs, nightclubs, and restaurants.

It is a movement hailed as a signal public health triumph and a sweeping social shift. But an increasing body of evidence also suggests that what’s good for the health of workers and patrons may also boost the bottom line of businesses.

‘’Now, we can tell other states considering this kind of law: ‘If you implement this law, you’re not only going to have a better work environment — you don’t have to affect the economics of your hospitality industry,’ “ said Gregory Connolly, an author of the Harvard study and former chief of the tobacco control program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where he was an ardent champion of initiatives to stop smoking.

The Harvard researchers reviewed state tax records for all restaurants, bars, and nightclubs from July through December of last year — the first six months of the statewide ban — and compared them with receipts for the comparable period in previous years.

To make an apples-to-apples comparison, the researchers took into account inflation. Even after doing that, they found that tax collections on meals rose about 9 percent after the ban went into effect compared with the July through December average for 1999 through 2003. The researchers also found that alcoholic beverage excise tax collections remained essentially steady.

Similarly, the figures showed a slight rise in the number of people working in restaurants and bars.

‘’We had anticipated that and projected that, but no one believed us,” said Joyce Redford, director of the North Shore Tobacco Control Program, which covers nine cities and towns. ‘’Now look: Lo and behold, it’s exactly what happened.”

Even the business alliance that once stood determinedly in opposition to the ban, sending it to repeated defeats on Beacon Hill, concedes that the law has had no persistent negative effects.

‘’It caused kind of a minor blip in business at first,” said Gail Anastas, director of communications for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. ‘’But then they did things to attract people back. Everybody just wanted a level playing field, and when it went statewide, it made it the same for everyone

~snip

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/04/restaurants_bars_gain_business_under_smoke_ban/

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