I hope that I am not violating any confidences here, but let me tell you all how the smoking ban proposal came about and why I think it is necessary.
When the Bonfire Grille opened on Grand Avenue they came to the Summit Hill Board and said they were going to be a "Family Restaurant". They said they were going to have "some piano music" and didn't need an entertainment license. To make a long story short, Bonfire quickly became a rowdy bar, like Billy's and The Wild Onion, with obscene piano players blaring their music into Cafe Latte and smoke drifting into the hallways and Cafe Latte. I was part of the prolonged negotiations to try and get Bonfire SIMPLY TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS to keep the music and smoke inside. At first they agree to do so, as a condition of getting their entertainment license, but when they saw City Officials saying to the City Council that their entertainment license couldn't be denied, the time to close the doors became later and later and later, to the point I went by last Saturday night at 11:00 P.M. and the doors were wide open and smoke was drifting out into the hall and into Cafe Latte. So there are people who are opposed to the smoking ban, like Mr. Thompson, the Mayor and bar owners who say, "Let them regulate themselves" or "If you don't like smoking restaurants, don't go there or don't work there." The point is Cafe Latte is a non-smoking restaurant, but by the fact that there is a smoking bar/restaurant across the hall, THAT REFUSES TO CLOSE IT'S DOORS, it has essentially become a smoking restaurant. (My apologies to Peter Quinn at this point.) While Cafe Latte may be labeled a non-smoking establishment, by the very nature of Bonfires actions, Cafe Latte's employees and customers are exposed to Bonfire's customers second-hand smoke. I can only wonder how many other situations like this exist in the City? The point is, if Bonfire had acted like a good neighbor in the first place and just closed their doors, it would have never occurred to Councilman Thune to introduce the smoking ban. Essentially Bonfire left Councilman Thune no option. So if you want to get P.O.'ed about the proposed smoking ban, look no further than the owners of the Bonfire Grille. All they are concerned about is their bottom line and the hell with neighboring patrons and customers. Dan Dobson Saint Paul _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ 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/
