In a message dated 6/8/2004 7:45:45 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> why are current bar owners not going smoke > free on their own? Why is legislation necessary? I would suggest that if you go to most bars in mid to late afternoon and see the regulars at the bar you'd know the answer. The group that sits at the bar and drinks are chain smoking while chain drinking. Hang out a while and you'll see them buy each other drinks (upside down shot glasses symbolize drinks bought by someone else not yet consumed by the recipient) and chat the afternoon/evening away. The same type of group may be there at night but they are harder to spot if you don't know them and the crowd is bigger. That is the group that the bar owners are fearful they will lose if they had to get off of their bar stool to have a smoke. If they actually got up and went outside, they might decide they had enough and go home. Most bar owners fear an almost empty bar between lunch and dinner if they didn't have the regulars and without a state wide ban they can see them going to a near suburban location. I don't think that the issue is going out to eat and not being able to smoke or even the group that is going out to party together, because the smokers would get up and take a smoke break together, but the "gang from Cheers," the ones who come in to have a drink and spend the afternoon on the barstool, that is the group the bars fear they lose. If you doubt me, ask a bar owner about his afternoon "regulars" and they will sound pretty much like the above. Just My opinion Not Those Of My Employers Past Present Or Future Chuck Repke _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
