Dec 30, 2008 9:13 pm US/Central
State Smoke Ban Boosts, Burns Businesses
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
Before the state smoking ban went into effect last Jan. 1, many bar and restaurant owners feared that the new law would have a disastrous impact on business.
But revenue figures for 2008 show that sales tax receipts for bars, nightclubs and restaurants increased in the six months after Illinois went smoke-free. Illinois casinos, on the other hand, have seen a double-digit drop in gaming receipts this year.
"At the very least, I think it's safe to say that [the ban] hasn't hurt business," said Barbara De Nekker, a community health specialist with Tobacco Free Lake County.
Anecdotal evidence from Chicago area restaurants and bars shows a mixed bag.
Going smoke-free has done wonders for Mickey Finn's Brewery in Libertyville, owner Brian Grano said. Grano estimates business is up 7 percent this year.
"We're getting new people that love to go to bars, but because of asthma wouldn't. And even people who were smokers loved it. They said, 'I smoke, but I don't necessarily like to smell smoke,' " he said. "I can very definitively say that the smoking ban helped us."
Nick Demos, head chef for the Blue Angel diner in Jefferson Park, has seen the opposite effect. He said the 24-hour diner is hurting, since prior to the ban, most customers who came in after 10 p.m. were smokers.
"In the summertime, it's much easier, because they can go outside and smoke. But during the winter, it hurts," Demos said.
Illinois casinos have been in a particularly bad state.
Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said gambling receipts in Illinois are falling faster than in neighboring states.
"The only difference between us and them is the smoking ban," Swoik said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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