Allow smoking in our new pub?

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Should our new brewpub allow smoking?

  • Yes! Places like this should allow smoking.

  • On the fence - I may come in occasionally if smoking were allowed inside.

  • I would never set foot in that stink-hole if smoking were allowed.

Results are only viewable after voting.
Wisconsin no longer allows smoking in any enclosed building where people work. Any place with a roof and more than 2 walls.
 
I've had beers in many a smoke free bar across the country. If there are smokers that are dead set against dining out or drinking because they can't smell the place up, I'm not missing them and I doubt businesses are either.
 
rycov said:
i smoke.( i should quit) but i dont take into consideration if i cant smoke a a bar or pub when i go. i went out on tuesday to a place that didn't allow smoking inside. they had a patio so i drank inside and smoked out side. not an issue. although if you do set the smoking area outside, let people bring their drinks out too. (if law in your area allows that) one bar that i go to cant let people bring there drinks out when they smoke and one has a patio so they can and i would much rather go to the one where i can smoke on the patio and bring my drink with. Good luck with your pub!
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Thanks!
This is this law for a few places here I know as well. It comes into affect if the area is on a public sidewalk. In our case the back of our building is perfect. Nothing, just about a half acre of gravel/dirt, then a steep drop-off to a subdivision.
 
JefeTheVol said:
As far as I know in Tennessee, the establishment can choose their smoking status. The catch being that if they choose to allow smoking indoors they must also be a 21+ establishment. Many bars in Memphis chose to allow smoking but many establishments are smoke free. (As a sidebar it is also up to the establishment to allow or disallow their patrons to carry firearms, too.)

I am originally from Chattanooga and lived their for 20 years and I can say that it is one of the most progressive cities in the south. I think that you should not allow smoking because you would be narrowing your patrons by eliminating families otherwise. And family patronage is a good source of income in a place like Chattanooga.

As for as the other 2 brew pubs in Chattanooga - Im not sure if Big River allows smoking or not, but they might in the "bar" section with the pool tables. As far as The Terminal goes, I have only been their once and SWMBO says they dont allow smoking but I cant remember.

Bottom Line in Tennessee
Smoking = 21+
No Smoking = Family Business + Drinkers

Sounds like No Smoking would be the way to go, unless the laws are different in Hamilton County.
-Jefe-
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Terminal is no-smoking, and hugely successful. They have a great 2nd floor deck as well. None of the pubs I enjoy around here allow smoking.
 
A Middle school teacher of mine described personal freedom as being able to swing your fist as much as you want- it's when your fist meets someone else's nose, then you've crossed a line. Smoking definitely is someone's fist punching me in the nose, in my opinion.
 
Great discussions going on.....by now I think we are all use to going out in public places that are smoke free. I personally like going to a pub/club/ bar/restaraunt and not coming home smelling like an ashtray. That being said, I smoke, my choice. The thing that really bugs me is a public place that wants my MONEY, but puts me out on the back forty because I light up.

I think you could go smoke free inside your business, but at least provide those customers that smoke a decent area (overhead cover, heat etc) to light up and enjoy their evening without putting your non-smoking customers in a health predicament.

Smoking is still not illegal in the U.S.A. ...... not yet at least,. ..but remember your customer base... they pay your bills and keep you in business. Treat all of them respectfully.
 
If you want to cater to smokers, fine. But, if possible, provide an outdoor beer garden where the smokers are ok and the beer connoisseur can enjoy their brew smoke-free.
 
I voted no because of health issues. I have never smoked but when smoking in restaraunts was still allowed in WA I never wanted to be there. Like most people I respect a persons right to smoke, I just don't want to smell like it.

The other thing is consider your employees. Some of them might not mind but others will. You may even be pushing away a really good employee for a 'unique' one because of the smoking. Also, here in WA its a 30 foot distance from the entrance (any entrance) of a building before anyone can smoke. You might want to consider that before you put in an outdoor smoking section. Hate to have you move it if that type of law passes in your area.
 
I will never eat in a restaurant that allows smoking. If it were just a bar I might occasionally drop in for a pint, but I will always gravitate to the non smoking establishment. The smell of it just nauseates me.
 
Pretty much all been said.

Smoking in public is selfish, rude and ought not to be tolerated anywhere.*


*For what it's worth I am not using public in the denotative manner but in the connotative sense.
 
I'm a non smoker. I'm also a conservative. It irritates me to no end the way individual rights are eroding in this country. I despise the smell of smoke as much as anyone here. I believe if tobacco use is to remain legal (which it probably always will because of the tax revenue) than it should be left to the business owners discretion whether it be allowed in his establishment.

Personally I will always choose non-smoking over smoking and I think as the owner of a new business the wise choice is non-smoking. Be grateful you live in a state that still allows you to make that decision for yourself.

Some say.....oh but the employees health.....or the customers health. That is the great thing about this country, we are free (mostly) to make our own decisions. If you don't want to work in a smoky bar go work in a smoke free one. If you don't want to eat or drink in a smoky bar vote with your wallet and patronize the smoke-free ones.
 
I can still remember the first time in my life when I came home from a night out in a bar and didn't stink like smoke. It was, of all places, the Dock Street Tavern, original home of Dock Street Beers, an early craft beer in the Philly area which went under years ago and since has been revived in a new location. The occasion was game six of the 1993 World Series, the one where Joe Carter (on the Blue Jays) hit the ninth inning walk off home run to win the game and clinch the series.

It was a memorable night in a lot of ways. The agony of Mitch Williams giving up the home run (this was the game where Curt Schilling sat with a towel over his head, unwilling to watch), the delight in discovering the great Dock Street Beers, and in no small part, the happiness in not stinking to high heaven the next morning made the whole thing memorable. There was another first as well - this was the first time I'd ever seen a TV with "closed captioning" on, so we could follow the play by play in a noisy bar.

Put me in the "no smoking" column.
 
logan3825 said:
Wisconsin no longer allows smoking in any enclosed building where people work. Any place with a roof and more than 2 walls.
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Quite a while ago, SWMBO and I visited her family in WI and the indoor smoking ban hadn't started yet. But, it was in place where we living. Both of us went for an "after dinner smoke" at the table and felt too uncomfortable. We just couldn't smoke at the table, inside, that close to all those other people. Once you get used to smoking outside, it's just like the smoking habit and it's automatic.
 
out here in AZ all the bars have an enclosed patio with ventilation going up and out through the roof. There are too many smokers who go to the bars with a patio over one without to not want one here.
 
Just saw this article, thought it was relevant. The WHO estimates that 1 in 100 deaths is due to second hand smoke, or 600,000 a year. Now, this is mostly in other countries (because they haven't made smoking bans?), and mostly children, so not perfectly applicable to your pub, but I think it's still something to think about.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AP00D20101126
 
I enjoy a good cigar ALMOST as much as I enjoy a good craft beer. I have a fantasy of one day owning a brewpub with a cigar lounge. However, the cigar lounge would be completely isolated from the main brewpub so the non-smokers don't have to be around the smoke.

If you are opening a place that doesn't have the option of of a SEPARATE smoking area then I say make it non-smoking, particularly if you are focusing on craft beer. It is a niche market anyway and you don't want to drive off potential customers.
 
Yooper said:
No matter how great the beer, if I have to deal with smoke to get one, I'm not going in.

I'm glad that Michigan passed the no-smoking ban, since I can now go into places that I avoided for years. One time, about 8 years ago, my husband was out of town and a good friend took me out for Mother's Day dinner. I loved my dinner, but the table next to me had a smoker who came in as I was finshing my dinner and he kept lighting up. I did ok for a while, but then had to leave abruptly. I ended up in the hospital with an acute asthma attack, IVs, oxygen, etc. Smoke is a big trigger for my well-managed asthma. That smoker cost me $1000 (my deductible) plus whatever my insurance paid.

For some people, second hand smoke may be just an annoyance. But it can kill, or cause medical issues for susceptible people. In some states, I don't have to put up with smoke anymore. If it's even a choice, I'd encourage you to not allow it. Smokers can go outside if they need a smoke. The only recourse I have is to avoid your establishment.
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You never told me this! I even asked if smoke bothered you when you first came over for a brewday. My daughter is the same way and I don't smoke anywhere near her.

You can guess I am a smoker but I have no problem with smoke free establishments. I actually prefer them for dining. To have an area where someone can step outside to light up is nice and it will keep me in a place longer.
 
I used to smoke, but have been away from the nasty stuff for 20 years. I can smell a cigarette being lit in a vehicle three car lengths ahead of me on the freeway, hypersensitivity.

If you offer somewhere smokers can go, I mean those who absolutely can't get through a beer or meal without lighting up, that may be an option. Make sure it isn't right at your front door. No one wants to run a gauntlet of smokers to get into your pub.

It will reduce your insurance liability as your employees will not be subjected to working in a smoking environment.

Good luck with the Pub!!
 
passedpawn said:
Good luck with that. I have yet to see a place that had an effective separation, except to push the smokers completely outdoors.
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I did call it a fantasy and not a plan. ;)

I think it could work if they were basically two separate buildings with an adjoining wall. Separate AC systems and you would have to walk outside to go from one building to the next. Or if the cigar lounge were upstairs with the stairwell being on the outside of the building.
 
I'm sorry but smoking in a public building is not "individual rights". That's forcing your own habits on others.

People have every right to use tobacco, and I'm glad they do. However they have no right to force it upon non-smokers, which is exactly what allowing smoking in a public building does.

-Joe
 
nostalgia said:
I'm sorry but smoking in a public building is not "individual rights". That's forcing your own habits on others.

People have every right to use tobacco, and I'm glad they do. However they have no right to force it upon non-smokers, which is exactly what allowing smoking in a public building does.

-Joe
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No, A pub is a private business in which you have a CHOICE as a consumer to conduct business there or not. The business OWNER has the RIGHT to do what he wants with HIS PROPERTY. A PUBLIC BUILDING by definition is owned by the public in common which means its owned by no one or more accurately its owned by the government.
 
AKbrewer said:
No, A pub is a private business in which you have a CHOICE as a consumer to conduct business there or not. The business OWNER has the RIGHT to do what he wants with HIS PROPERTY. A PUBLIC BUILDING by definition is owned by the public in common which means its owned by no one or more accurately its owned by the government.
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While in theory I agree, in practice that doesn't work. Back before smoking bans started, how many non-smoking bars did you see? Restaurants? I saw zero. So the only choice a consumer has is put up with smokers, or stay home.

-Joe
 
nostalgia said:
While in theory I agree, in practice that doesn't work. Back before smoking bans started, how many non-smoking bars did you see? Restaurants? I saw zero. So the only choice a consumer has is put up with smokers, or stay home.

-Joe
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Well times certainly have changed from years ago. When I was a kid I can remember people smoking in the grocery store and just throwing the butts on the floor. Not to mention doctors advertising Camels.In todays highly anti-smoking environment consumers would probably demand non-smoking establishments, although i think there is room for smokers too.
 
I have the right to enjoy a meal where I can smell the food, not the cigarette smoke from the table next door. Smoking invades my personal space, therefore you violate my rights when you light up in a restaurant when seated next to me.

People today have no respect for others, unless the other just got through kicking their a$$.

Unfortunate!
 
Dunerunner said:
I have the right to enjoy a meal where I can smell the food, not the cigarette smoke from the table next door. Smoking invades my personal space, therefore you violate my rights when you light up in a restaurant when seated next to me.

People today have no respect for others, unless the other just got through kicking their a$$.

Unfortunate!
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Sorry but your wrong, unless you own the restaurant its not your "personal space". Also there is no right to "enjoyment" or "smelling". For example; you have no right to enjoy yourself on my property. I do agree that some people have no respect for others.
 
I am another ex-smoker who prefers a non-smoking pub!

When I was a smoker, I only smoked outside or in my car. Even if I was visiting the house of a smoker, I would still step outside to smoke. I never really got used to smoking indoors.

As a smoker, I would appreciate an outdoor smoking area that had heaters for the winter time and a covering to keep out of the rain.
 
AKbrewer said:
No, A pub is a private business in which you have a CHOICE as a consumer to conduct business there or not. The business OWNER has the RIGHT to do what he wants with HIS PROPERTY. A PUBLIC BUILDING by definition is owned by the public in common which means its owned by no one or more accurately its owned by the government.
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No. A public building is one that the public as access to. There's a difference between private ownership and private property.

The idea that smoking bans in a bar are somehow a gross infringement on private property rights is laughable when you consider all the other ways a restaurant/bar are regulated by the local/state/and federal governments.

Off the top of my head, if I wanted to open a restaurant or a bar in my town, I'd have to deal with:

Zoning
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Health inspectors
Building inspectors
ADA compliance
Employment regulations

I'm sure there's more I'm missing too.

Then if you wanted to add a brewpub, I'm sure there's additional licensing from all levels along with the TTB. Not too mention all the

It's not like a bar is just going along without any interference from the government and a smoking ban is the big, bad government is coming out of nowhere to get involved.
 
roadymi said:
it should be left to the business owners discretion whether it be allowed in his establishment
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The OP is a business owner who is asking your opinion as to how he should exercise his discretion. Please don't bring a political debate into the discussion.

Keep this thread focused on your opinions of smoking in the OP's establishment, not a debate on government regulation of smoking in public (or individual rights). There is another subforum for such debate.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
The OP is a business owner who is asking your opinion as to how he should exercise his discretion. Please don't bring a political debate into the discussion.

Keep this thread focused on your opinions of smoking in the OP's establishment, not a debate on government regulation of smoking in public (or individual rights). There is another subforum for such debate.
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Alrighty then.
 
From another smoking thread - You should get a smoking hole. ;)

smokinghole.jpg
 
I don't smoke, never have, and can't figure out why people are so sensitive and intolerant. Tobacco smoke does not nauseate me, in fact I associate the smell with having a good time with friends because most of them smoke. In 99% of cases when you are in a smoky bar, you can slightly smell it. Maybe less than 1% of the time is it so smokey to be unpleasant. There is a difference between being able to smell a bit of tobacco smoke and choking on the smoke. Most places have adequate ventilation. I voted for the first option, I expect that people would be smoking at such a place. Although I would not avoid it if I were alone if smoking were not allowed, I would if I were out with friends, which I frequently am.
 
Maybe I didn't make myself clear: NO MORE RANTS IN THIS THREAD, mini or otherwise.

The OP apparently has a choice in deciding whether his establishment should allow smoking or not. Help him decide without injecting politics.
 
alecoholic said:
I don't smoke, never have, and can't figure out why people are so sensitive and intolerant. Tobacco smoke does not nauseate me, in fact I associate the smell with having a good time with friends because most of them smoke. In 99% of cases when you are in a smoky bar, you can slightly smell it. Maybe less than 1% of the time is it so smokey to be unpleasant. There is a difference between being able to smell a bit of tobacco smoke and choking on the smoke. Most places have adequate ventilation. I voted for the first option, I expect that people would be smoking at such a place. Although I would not avoid it if I were alone if smoking were not allowed, I would if I were out with friends, which I frequently am.
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It's it different for different people, I'm like you, I think the smell of tobacco smoke is pleasant. But my ex is like yooper, even a little tobacco smoke can trigger a trip to the hospital and she isn't alone. Plus, even though i like the smell of it, it really covers of the great aroma of beer (when i used to smoked I never smoked when i drank beer because it ruined a potentially great beer). I guess it's cause I used to smoke but I can tell if someone has lit up in a room, even if it was a few hours ago, my assessment is 99% of places that allowed smoking, i would say there was a distinct tobacco smell (pleasant for me, not pleasant for anyone who doesn't like it), again it's all about the person.
 

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