Free Republic

Wisconsin's workplace smoking ban turned 2 years old Thursday, and despite critics' fears, overall sales in the hospitality industry are up slightly. The Wisconsin Restaurant Association's Pete Hanson said Wisconsin taverns and eateries followed national economic trends and largely were unaffected by the ban. ~snip Based on state tax collection data, Hanson said restaurant and tavern sales overall increased 1% in 2010 and 2% in 2011, mirroring national trends. Conversely, the subcategory of bars and taverns saw around a 4% decrease during that time, but Hanson notes that trend has been ongoing for many years. Overall, Hanson said the smoking...