Mecklenburg County wants to Ban Smoking in Restaurants

[ohioaninSC]

Columbus, OH passed a smoking ban in 2004 and afterwards, it was great to go out. Not one bar was smoke free b4, so I only went out once in a blue moon b/c anytime I get anywhere near cig/cigar smoke, I really start hacking pretty badly ever since I had a long bout w/ Bronchitis due to second hand smoke. Anyways, not one bar owner lost any revenue, and most of them said their business actually picked. I don't go out much now b/c I don't know of any bars either here in York County or in Mecklinburg County that are smoke free. So those saying that you can choose to go to smoke free bars, well there are none that I know of. I tell my friends all the time when they ask if I want to go out to a bar or club no b/c of the smoking. If they actually passed a smoking ban, I would actuall go out then.

BTW, how does an area w/ very little population get control of a state legislature. I bet more people live in Mecklenburg County than all of Eastern NC, so how is the representation so disproportionate. One would think that each senate seat should and representative seat should represent about the same size population so a large metro area should have more clout in the legislature than one in an area w/ hardly any population.

Also, what would happen if Mecklenburg County went against the state gov't in this and passed the ban anyway. Couldn't they take it into federal court or something to get it upheld. It just seems like a state law that is unconstitutional to me.

Anyways, there is no good arguement not to put on a smoking ban in restaraunts and bars b/c of OSHA rules that are there to protect the worker. That in and of itself is reason enough to pass smoking bans.

[Justadude]

^ As mentioned above, Neighborhood Theater is now non-smoking. For that matter, pretty much any public venue, such as a stadium, is going to be n-s except for designated sections.

Here's a very long list of local restaurants which are smoke-free: http://mecklenburg.digitalhealthdepartment.com/smokefree.cfm

Don't know about York County, though.

[lptk]

In recent news on the health effects - results from a study by the Oregon Dept of Public Health was just published in the American Journal of Public Health. I believe it's the first study that shows a direct connection between work in a smoking environment and levels of a certain tobacco carcinogen in the body. They observed an hourly correlation (more hours on a shift in a smoking restaurant or bar led to more carcinogin).

Time had a write up on it last week:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...1638535,00.html

It's still not definitively proven that hours working in a smoking establishment will give you cancer, but this is one more piece of evidence that your odds get higher.

[Charlotteman]

An interesting aside:

Besides wonderful history and culture, art and architecture, and food and wine, what else is France known for? France is one of those countries where about 90% of people over the age of 11 smoke.

But guess what...it is now illegal to smoke in French cafes, restaurants, theatres, offices, etc etc.!!!!! I can actually consider vacationing in Paris now!.

If France can legally out-manuever 90% of their puffing population, why can't Mecklenburg enact a ban as well?

[ohioaninSC]

^ As mentioned above, Neighborhood Theater is now non-smoking. For that matter, pretty much any public venue, such as a stadium, is going to be n-s except for designated sections.

Here's a very long list of local restaurants which are smoke-free: http://mecklenburg.digitalhealthdepartment.com/smokefree.cfm

Don't know about York County, though.

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

BTW, how does an area w/ very little population get control of a state legislature. I bet more people live in Mecklenburg County than all of Eastern NC, so how is the representation so disproportionate. One would think that each senate seat should and representative seat should represent about the same size population so a large metro area should have more clout in the legislature than one in an area w/ hardly any population.

[Rebelde]

If, as people claim, smoke-free restraunts draw in more business and revenue, do you not think we would see more places go smoke free and capture the market?

If I was a restraunt owner, and smoke-free enviorments was where the money is, I would not be slow to open up chain restraunts that were smoke free.

I just find it hard to believe that smoke-free enviorments has a bigger market, yet very few restraunts are smoke-free. One, as I, would think a owner would start a big chain of smoke-free restraunts if it drew in the big market.

Can someone explain this to me? Thanks in advanced.

[Justadude]

^ I wouldn't say that "very few" restaurants are smoke-free. If you click the link I posted above, you'll see that the list of smoke-free restaurants is really quite long. Add to that all the restaurants who put their smoking sections in some little back-room alcove, and I'd guess that the majority of Meck. restaurants are functionally smoke-free.

This is why I personally see no need for government regulation of smoking policies. For the most part, the places that court a smoke-free audience have already made the change. The remainder are usually the kinds of places where you would expect smoke as part of the atmosphere (diners, bars, etc.).

[ScreamShatter]

I really hope they ban it. I don't think clubs or other businesses should have a choice. It's so much more fun to go out in New York now because I don't come home with my eyes burnings and smelling like smoke.

[Larryfla]

I really hope they ban it. I don't think clubs or other businesses should have a choice. It's so much more fun to go out in New York now because I don't come home with my eyes burnings and smelling like smoke.

[ScreamShatter]

I just drove back from Minnesota. I stopped one night in Paducah, Kentucky to find that the major cities in Kentucky have banned smoking. I can't believe that a state like Kentucky can ban smoking and North Carolina hasn't? Smoking should be banned in public restaurants. Smokers have no right to jeopardize the health of others through their discusting habit. I hope that a national ban will be accomplished.

[Spartan]

My favorite analogy is this: Having a smoking section in a restaurant is alot like having a peeing section in a pool.

In my experience, it is much more nejoyable to go to a bar or restaurant or any other public/social place when nobody is smoking. They did this for a while in Greenville (SC) and before it was taken to court, going out in Gville was much more enjoyable. Basicly the way I see it is yeah, businesses may loose a few smokers, but they will gain a lot more non-smokers. People assume that smokers (which are somsething like 19% of the total population) can somehow have more impact than the 81% who don't, and that irritates me.

[Justadude]

If the city leaves it up to bars and eateries, then no one will ever ban it because "why fix something that isn't broken"

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the opposite has proven to be true in this city. Virtually every restaurant with a decent reputation has either banned smoking or sequestered it to a back room or bar area removed from the general dining area.

Just out of curiosity, how many restaurants in the city still allow smoking in the general dining area? I can only think of a handful, none of which are very attractive places to eat in the first place.

[Raintree21]

I agree that most of the nicer restaurants have either gone smoke-free or have no-smoking areas. Not that either are exactly "fine dining," but I can think of two restaurants in Midwood (Penguin and Dish) that allow smoking and shouldn't due to size and/or lack of ventilation.

Even though I love their burgers and will occasionally get take-out there, I refuse to eat inside The Penguin. It's far too small an environment to allow smoking and if one person is smoking in that room, EVERYONE is inhaling cigarette smoke. However, they do a booming business and I'm sure they adhere to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it mentality" where smoking is concerned and they definitely seem to attract a smoke-friendly crowd.

As for Dish, even the non-smoking section of the restaurant can get bad if the smoking section is really full. The ventilation apparently isn't conducive to clearing smoke from the building very well.

On a side note, it has always struck me as ironic that the more artsy and "alternative" (for lack of a better word) crowd tends to have a high percentage of smokers. Their politics are generally more on the liberal side but they continually put money into the pockets of the typically conservative tobacco industry.

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

Surprisingly, The Diamond Restaurant, which is right next door and just as old, if not older than those two, is completely smoke free. Love it!

[cltheel.sdl]

Get outta here! I had no idea the Diamond had gone smoke-free but I'm happy to hear it has. What a great little hole-in-the-wall diner...one of the few old Charlotte restaurants that has managed to survive.

[Larryfla]

Is there any place I can get a list of non-smoking establishments?

[Raintree21]

I found this Mecklenburg County Health Department website that you can use to search for smoke-free restaurants. It's not it's intended purpose though. The primary search is for health inspection scores, but if you use the Advanced Search feature on the right side, you can refine the results to smoke-free restaurants. I did a search of all inspections from 2002 until now and it came up with 2183 out of 192723 inspections that matched my request.

[Raintree21]

I was so happy to see people at Wolfman's Pizza at Quail Corner's having to go outside to smoke the other night. I didn't realize they were smoke-free, especially with it turning into a bar after dinner hours. Also, in this week's Charlotte Weekly, they mention that the restaurant at the Whitwater Park is also smoke free.

[sleightofhand]

I could have sworn someone listed a group of uptown or in the uptown area places that had gone smoke free. Does anyone know of such an animal.

[28202]

Post # 144 above.

[InitialD]

Maybe we can work out a compromise; restaurants smoke free, bars (either 18 & up or 21 & up establishments are smoke-optional). Are we going to have to open smoking speakeasies next? Is the consumption of meat next to be banned? Maybe start up prohibition again?

[Raintree21]

Most restaurants already are smoke free.

[Neo]

Maybe we can work out a compromise; restaurants smoke free, bars (either 18 & up or 21 & up establishments are smoke-optional). Are we going to have to open smoking speakeasies next? Is the consumption of meat next to be banned? Maybe start up prohibition again?

This is what bugs me the most...cigarettes have been proven to have negative effects to those around the smoker. Since when as the consumption of meat harmed those around the actual person eating the meat?

I have no problem with the compromise...make all public restaurants smoke free unless they are a bar requiring adult status for entry.

There really isn't anything else that can be added to this thread than that which already exists, but I'll say that the comparison of second hand smoke to other things such as drinking is getting rather tiresome considering it is not even as close as apples and oranges...more like apples and furniture.