How many bars/restaurants in California lost business due to the smoking ban?

Question

I live near St Louis, MO. I moved here from California. Now St Louis wants to impose a smokng ban in bars and restaurants. Many people and business owners are complaining they wil lose business. But I say, it worked in California, it can work here. They will NOT lose business, and California is proof. Thanks for answering.

Answer 1

people still need to eat and still want to go to bars - even if they can't smoke in them. I am not sure how many people would rather just sit home and chain smoke than hit the town. Most bars have designated smoking patios or areas, so people can still smoke - just outside.

Answer 2

Not much business has been lost.

However, it is now a statewide ban. The situation was a little different when the ban was city-wide. Some smokers when, for example, Beverly Hills banned smoking in restauarants and bars, would instead go to a nearby city and Beverly Hills eating places lost a bit of business.

So St. Louis has issues with nearby suburbs and the neighboring state, if the ban wasn't also imposed next door.

However, it turns out that smokers are as lazy as everyone else, and will mostly still go to the same places even if they have to smoke outside. The amount of business lost was never anywhere near the amount feared by the merchants, and some of the losses were offsert by increased business from those who wouldnt eat or drink at a smoke-filled place before.

Answer 3

In Austin Texas we're working on the first year of the smoking ban. While bars AND restaurants on the whole have suffered little change in their overall revenues, bars and taverns have suffered horribly.

Receipts are down, depending upon the other attractions available, 20%-50%. Some taverns have closed completely, others have changed hands.

Those who continue attendance to the bars tend to be quite young and don't spend much money. The establishments which do well are those with outdoor patios, which may still allow smoking. This also forces the bars to hire more servers. I can't imagine how this would work in less temperate St. Louis.

Liquor sales in bars are down. Retail sales of liquor are up. A conspiracy theory making the rounds states that the smoking bans are intended to close bars. Who knows.

Answer 4

The reason we have a smoking ban is because most people don't smoke. The ones that do smoke are mostly poor and can't afford to go out.

Answer 5

Smoking is disgusting as it is. Now trying to eat while someone is smoking next to you is worse than that. I don't think CA has lost any business because of it.

Answer 6

They just smoke outside, I fanything I think the magority of peple who did not smoke went more often because they no longer had to put up with it.

Answer 7

Next to none, if any. Owners complained, but it had no effect ( if anything, many places actually made more money)

Answer 8

None.....

Answer 9

very few...