Steve will see significant loss of revenue as business will go where Freedom and Democracy ring with smoke filled voters enjoying specialty drinks in a new bar soon.To be announced in the coming months on the Southside. thanks for the opportunity Steve

I say just get rid of the smoke every place. It ain’t that expensive.
http://www.air-quality-eng.com/tobacco.php

If we can manage to keep St. Louis free, Steve can always switch back to his old ways if a new place cuts into his smoke-free business. When it comes to things like smoke in a bar, the free market works.

I don’t think it’s a bad move for the Royale - the market is adjusting and they are creating a niche for themselves. I don’t know the numbers, but the Atomic Cowboy and R Bar are others that are smoke free. I would guess it works for them, they have been smoke free for awhile. But it only works if there is no ban, if there is a ban the niche they have filled dissapears. The market works better when there are more choices.

Of course they also have a choice to switch back if nonsmokers don’t support them.

This is teriffic. I spoke to a friend of mine who owns a large drinking establishment in St. Louis County. He said he’d have no problem with a statewide or at least a St. Louis County/City ban.
Odenwald’s ban would have sent his business into the city.

Illinois is NOT “smoke-free.”

The smoking ban is being ignored all over the state now. Serious questions have been raised concerning the new law’s constitutionality. The courts have not been receptive to enforcing the new law. Prosecutors haven’t, either.

Excellent news and I hope other establishments follow Steve’s lead while others work on smoke-free ordinances. Air filtration devices seem to be touted a lot, especially in this comment section, but they really are not the answer. While the air may be visibly cleaner looking, the devices cannot remove toxins and gases from burning cigarettes. Even when the air looks clear, you will still notice the smell of smoke in your hair and clothes when you leave the environment.

Mrenner, this air filtration unit can run 2000 cubic feet of bar air thru electronic, HEPA and activated charcoal filtration per minute. The electronic and HEPA filtration get the particles and the activated charcoal gets the rest. It not only takes smoke, but also viruses, bacteria and radon progeny, out of bar air. It is used to bring welding shops into OSHA compliance, so it can handle cigarette smoke too.

http://www.air-quality-eng.com/m68.php

Mrenner - this is an easy one. If you don’t like smoke, don’t go to establishments that allow smoking. Don’t spend your money or your time there. Spend your money at establishments that don’t allow smoking. The market has given you a choice, you should excercise that choice.

I always chuckle at these posters that need dry cleaning, showers, and gag after being near a smoker. Do they do that everytime they cross a busy street LOL?

“Steve will see significant loss of revenue as business will go where Freedom and Democracy ring with smoke filled voters enjoying specialty drinks in a new bar soon.To be announced in the coming months on the Southside. thanks for the opportunity Steve”

I am a capitalist. I can not take a hit in revenue. I refuse to.

My house has smelled like an ashtray for three years. My bed, my fresh dry cleaned clothes even my cheerios. But still smoking was allowed in the place. For all these years I was terrified about the types of scenarios as the above comment would suggest. I can’t go out of business. Over 3/4 of my customers smoke when I hit my money making times.

Well. My initial thought was wrong. Way wrong.

Even though I had wanted to go smoke free from the beginning, I did not. I should have gone smoke free three years ago. The reason I finally made the decision is that the customers wanted it. Badly. The vast overwhelming majority.

Check the internal study I did of the customers:
http://www.theroyale.com/blog/2008/02/04/royale-smoking-study/

And if people are going to boycott my place and stay away because they have to step outside for a square, well, so be it. It saddens me if people are making that decision, but they are not. People are coming in droves. All the smokers who are good customers have continued to come, and have verbally expressed appreciation. The business is up. Way up. People are relieved. The threats of business declining has not happened. Not at all. It has jumped.

It is to be noted we did not see any bump when the Illinois laws went into effect. I was told that people would be heading over from the Ill side. These Illinois crew are not at my place, a place that is considered the city’s best neighborhood bar in the polls. We had smoking here up until April 1.

Funny that the comment says my business went down when I restricted smoking at the tables during dining hours. This is not true. It went up. But now it is spiking up for everyone can sit inside in comfort and the smokers can step outside when they need a drag. I have no problem with the tobacco, it has just been making me ill when it is smoked in my house.

Before I started to study this issue more, I was not expecting this. But this is the truth. It is good for business. Come see it for yourself.

And on a final note- I smoked the final cigarette allowed in the house. I don’t smoke, but I figured that I should be the one. Nice nicotine high.

So seriously- to all the smokers- you are welcome. I hope you come down. I love smokers. I do. And to imply that I hate freedom- well, that is funny. I can tell there is desperation in the air among the last wafts of the smoke.

God bless America,

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith