"One local restaurant here in Richmond, the Strawberry Street Cafe, went non-smoking this past year, and their profits rose because people wanted a non-smoking restaurant."
As a smoker, I would still frequent a non-smoking eating establishment. I go in, order, eat and leave. With less people hanging around after a meal smoking, table turnover is greater and more meals are sold. Thus, higher profits. Fair enough, good business move.
That said, I will NEVER go to a non-smoking drinking establishment. The problem lies in restaurant/bars. Those restaurants that depend on a good bar income will feel a hit. Bars are going to be hit hard. If some enterprizing person wants to open some non-smoking bars, more power to them. If there is a market that needs filling, fill it! That's how these issues should be solved in a capitalist society, not by government, IMO.
The Applebee's in Pocatello went non-smoking 2 years ago. It is wall to wall people. Including the bar. A few people head outside to smoke, but very few.
The Denny's is the only 24-hour restaurant in town. It was always wall to wall with smokers and coffee drinkers. When Denny's decided to go non-smoking, they did a major remodel and cleanup to remove the smoke damaged interior. The remodel was unsuccessful. The place still stinks. Non-smokers still avoid the place. Smokers still patronize it, but have to smoke outside. Frankly, they should just go back to smoking in that building. It will never smell right again and it is just making life unpleasant for the smokers.
The is finally an alternative for the non-smokers. One Jack-in-the-Box and one McDonalds are 24 hr operations.