Monday, February 18, 2008

survival of the fittest

The owner of a local restaurant says business is down by a third since the state enacted a partial smoking ban last October. Tennessee allows restaurants to choose whether to serve all ages in a smoke-free environment or to only serve patrons over 21 who are free to smoke at the table. In many other states, smoking is banned at all restaurants, period.

When a restaurant suffers because of the smoking ban, I have to wonder what it was that drew in their clientèle in the first place. Obviously, restaurants that can survive on the quality of their food will do so. Others that rely on their atmosphere, albeit polluted, can continue to cater to smokers. Some of the comments posted on the News Sentinel article are worth reading (especially this one and this one), if you can ignore the ones from smokers who somehow feel that their "right" to blow smoke in our faces has been infringed upon by the ban.

At the end of the newspaper article, Scott Bryan from the Knox County Health Department says that some restaurants have seen their business double since the smoking ban. Yet that doesn't make the headlines. Meanwhile, the story about the restaurant switching back to allow smokers gets picked up by TV stations in Alabama and Kansas and who knows where else.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Jennifer said...

I love everything about the smoking ban. I wish it applied everywhere.

2/19/2008  
Anonymous Smoke Free said...

Yea Frank, we were in Chattanooga the other day and were really trying hard to find a place to eat that was quick. We found 'Fox and Hound' near Hamilton Place and went inside. Immediately the smoke hit us and we turned around and left.

I'm amazed that anyone even enters this place. I feel for the smokers who can't tell the difference. Imagine what they're missing.

2/20/2008  

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