Smoking Ban - Fair Or Foul?

By Author: Dan Buglio
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Smoking Bans - Fair or Foul?
 


By Dan Buglio, June - 2005


City halls and town councils are
packed with people arguing both sides of this heated debate.
 Should we ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other public
places or not?   I pose this question:  Did the
government intervene because every bar and restaurant has state of the
art smoke
eater technology installed - providing a comfortable, safe and odor
free dining or drinking experience?  I doubt it. 



I may not make any friends here, but I say that it is the very same bar
and restaurant owners who cry about the smoking bans putting  them
out of business that actually brought the smoking bans upon
themselves.  For those of you who have invested in the right smoke
eater technology, my apologies.  But look around.  Most
bars, night clubs and restaurants haven't done enough... or anything at
all.  ...
... Why not?  Don't these owners realize it's their health
too?  Bartenders and owners working in a smoky bar are 50% more
likely to develop lung cancer than those working in a smoke free
environment.  Yes, 50% more likely!


I don't smoke.  Never have,
never will.  I hate the stuff.  But in spite of that, I feel
that a bar or restaurant  has a right to allow smoking in their
privately owned business.  The customer also has a right to not be
a patron.  It's a free country, do as you wish. 
Unfortunately, our government feels they need to get involved to
protect the staff and customers because the bar owners haven't.  







So what should we do about smoking in
bars, night clubs and restaurants?  My vote is that it should be
up to the owner of the establishment to decide.  If allowing
smoking causes a bar or restaurant to gain or lose business, that is
their choice.  Many people argue in favor of the health of the
bartenders and wait staff.  Shouldn't they be provided a safe
place to work?  Again, it's a matter of choice.  If you don't
want to work in a smoky bar, don't work there or push your management
to get some quality smoke
eaters.  As a
customer, if you don't want to eat in a smoky restaurant, don't eat
there.  There are plenty of alternatives.  Simple right?


To the owners who cry foul when their
city or town bans smoking, what are you waiting for?  As the owner
of a company selling air
purifiers, air
cleaners and smoke
eaters, I speak to hundreds of bar and restaurant owners about
their smoke problems each year.  Most have smoke
eaters that are either 20 years old and poorly maintained or they
have nothing at all.  Then when they find out what it takes to
really get rid of the smoke, many claim "it's too expensive" and don't
do anything.  6 months later, I follow up and they still haven't
done anything.  What's the excuse?  They have none.


What drives me crazy is that smoke
removal isn't rocket science.  Maybe people don't realize that
there is technology available to handle smoke.  For those who feel
that bars have always been smoky and that's just the way it is, here's
how it works:  To get rid of smoke, you simply need to invest in
some commercial
smoke eaters.  Equipment that will effectively filter out the
majority of the fine microscopic smoke particles.  Filtration only
solves half the problem.  You then need to get rid of the harmful
gases, fumes and odors from cigarettes.  Commercial HVAC UV
air purifiers have really improved to the point that an odor ridden
smoky bar is no longer a necessity.  You CAN have a nearly smoke
free environment...if you are willing to spend the money on some
quality commercial
smoke eaters.  



When it comes to cost, many fail
to realize is that a good smoke
removal system will pay for itself in short order.  Think
about it, if just 4 patrons stay an hour longer than normal, spending
an extra $10 each, that's $40 bucks a day in increased
revenue.  Do the math, that's $14,600 a year in extra revenue.  With the
markup on beer and liquor, the investment in state of the art smoke
eater  technology will likely pay for itself inside of 6-9
months through increased revenue.  Hype it up with customers and
local media and you can easily recoup your investment even quicker.


To wrap it up:  For those
customers who patronize a smoky bar or restaurant, tell them to do
something about the smoke or you'll take your business elsewhere. 
For you bar and restaurant owners out there?  What are you waiting
for?  Wait much longer and the governments will surely ban smoking
and you will just have to find out for yourself what it will do to your
business and your bottom line. Act now before it's too late. 
Invite your local politician into your new clean air establishment.
 Show them what can be done to provide a healthy and comfortable
dining or drinking experience.  Perhaps it's not too late.
About the Author Dan Buglio is the owner of My Air Purifier, a business that sells air purifiers,
air
cleaners and smoke eaters for homes and businesses.