On the first of January, restaurants in Fort Worth will gain certain clarity. In a 7-2 vote held last week, the city council approved an ordinance banning smoking in most public areas and restaurants. While the majority of people seem to be backing the council, this debate still sparks controversy. How will restaurants and diners adapt? Will the ban affect business?
Truth be told, heavier smoking bans have been imposed on larger cities. New York bans smoking in all businesses and imposes fines for noncompliance. Colorado has been under a statewide smoking ban for nearly two years. Even European countries -the top dogs of the lit world- such as Great Briton, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Sweden have snuffed out the sparks.
Though other cities are functioning smoothly under smoking bans, some still worry that restaurant and bar profits will plummet. The Smoke-Free Fort Worth Coalition shakes its head at this notion. According to a pole conducted by the coalition in early August, “About 71 percent of participants responded that a smoke-free ordinance would make no difference in how often they went to bars and nightclubs. An additional 22 percent said they would frequent bars and nightclubs more often, and 6 percent said they would go less often.”
Smokers will certainly be inconvenienced. But weren’t non-smokers inconvenienced before? Smoking is, after all, a proven health risk in which some do not want to partake. If a person wants to smell the aroma of a steak rather than the scent of ash, a restaurant seems an obvious place to do so. And in January, it will be. There is a saying (quipped by who-knows-who) noting: “A smoking section in a restaurant is like a peeing section in a pool.” I tend to agree.
Log on to the Foodie Forum and tell us your thoughts on the upcoming smoking ban.
 |
