Let's see what the judge says. My question:
If there's no smoking anywhere, how's it going to hurt business? Has it been shown that people will stay home to eat and drink?
What about smoking sections for restaurants and bars with their own ventilation? That seems to work. Can't we all just get along?
Yes, it has been so shown. Not everyone, of course, but enough that small businesses are hurt or destroyed. Sixty percent of bars in Northern California are "noncompliant" and the percentage is probably about the same here in SoCal. Business owners are willing to risk the fines because otherwise, they'll be out of business.
What about smoking sections for restaurants and bars with their own ventilation? That seems to work. Can't we all just get along?
What about permitting the free market to work? How about letting the business owner decide who HIS market is and how best to cater to them? I'd love to "get along," but anti smokers want it all, 100% zero tolerance, and absolutely NO accommodation for smokers, no matter who it hurts. It's ridiculous.
I will damn sure never go to a non-smoking bar. None of my smoking friends will either.
What about smoking sections for restaurants and bars with their own ventilation?
Better yet, a bar that forces candy-ass whiney crybaby pidgeon pukes to smoke if they want to come in and stay?
I would love a place that would not admit crybabies who want the nanny-state to ban legal products.
Stay safe; stay armed.
Eaker
Yes it certainly has, in my town business is down appr 25%, ban took effect a year and a half ago.
Many smokers find it hard to enjoy themselves if they go for an hour or two without smoking. That's not to say they can't go without smoking, but they don't enjoy themselves.
People who go to bars and fancy restaurants generally do so for the purpose of enjoying themselves. Few people will go to a restaurant to spend $30 or more on a meal they know they're not going to enjoy.
I've noticed that many fast food places around me are completely non-smoking, and suspect there are four reasons: (1) smokers can generally be in and out quickly enough that not smoking for the brief time in-between isn't a problem; (2) smokers who don't want to stop smoking long enough to eat can get food to-go; (3) smokers who don't want to stop smoking, even for a moment, can use the drive-through; (4) many people who go to fast-food restaurants aren't particularly concerned about enjoyment.
If bars were allowed to let people have beverages to-go, they might not be hurt too seriously by a smoking ban. Unless a bar has an attached beer garden which allows smoking, however, they generally can't.