The Suburban Journals reported today that the Illinois Licenced Beverage Association admits that smoke-free air will benefit some of the bars and restaurants in their association.
“Illinois Licensed Beverage Association Executive Director Dan Clausner, whose group represents several hundred restaurant and bar owners, said any restriction on smoking in nearby St. Louis County could help businesses in Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties. Still, his group strongly opposes any ban.
It “may benefit some members, but we still feel that the principal of mandatory smoking bans is wrong,” Clausner said.”
Interesting, that.
What’s also interesting is the fact that in the same article, Illinois residents are quoted as saying that going smoke-free was an adjustment, but that they quickly adapted to the new law.
The effects of the Illinois smoking ban are debatable, however. Some local bars report no lasting impact, while others have closed. It’s also impossible to know how many have fled the area for smoker-friendly Missouri.
“It didn’t really affect us that much. I didn’t see a huge decline, because we do have an outdoor patio that people can use,” said Seanin Heinen, a manager at Tiny’s, a bar on North Main Street in Columbia.
“At first it was a little tough,” she added. “People weren’t coming out, then people got cabin fever and then everybody started coming back out. People need to be social. Maybe they can’t smoke inside, but they can go outside.”
Fairview Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Scott Leas said the Illinois ban initially hurt because it was a “shock” to patrons. But they have since come back, Leas said.
He also said Fairview Heights restaurants and bars didn’t lose large numbers to Missouri, and would probably not benefit greatly from a ban there.
“It’s been a cultural change, but people have adjusted,” he said.
As for how patrons feel about the Illinois law:
Sitting at the bar can mean a lot of things, but for the past 20 months in Illinois, it’s meant that people didn’t have to change their clothes in the garage any more.
One of the results of the smoking ban is that clothes don’t “reek” after a night out, many bar regulars said.
Sitting at the bar at Tiny’s, a neighborhood bar and restaurant in Columbia, patrons Doug Gool, Robert Valenzuela, Gary May, and his wife, Tammy Prater-May, talked about the effects of the ban one afternoon last week.
“Reek” was the most common word they used to describe the combination of bars and cigarettes.
May, who also tends bar at nearby Turner Hall, a private facility, said he likes the ban..
“When they had smoking, I’d go home, take my shirt and pants off, and throw them outside because they stunk so bad,” he said.
Prater-May added that they have avoided some Missouri businesses because of the smoke.
“I’ve been in other places in South County or St. Louis where we walked in and just came out reeking of smoke. It’s nice to go into places and not smell like that when you leave,” she said.
Patron Robert Valenzuela said there were “pros and cons.”
“We do have a lot of friends who come here who smoke,” he said. “They do appreciate the fact to that even though they are smokers, they don’t have to wash their clothes every night, or take them off in the ground.”
He also said it has been a money-saver.
“I do a lot of dry cleaning,” Valenzuela said, “so my expenses have been cut back a lot.”
Now the bars that comply “reek” of BO since they shut down the ventilation system to save money.
Bob, really???? I find that hard to believe. Also interesting that a ventilation system would cost so much money….its being touted as Bill Hannegan’s greatest solution. Are you saying Bill is trying run these businesses dry by requiring them to install these expensive ventilation systems?
To comply with codes, many larger businesses already have these systems, built years ago, requiring outside air at all times the building is occupied. They worked very well, but now with no visible smoke, it’s easy to get away without running them.