I spoke with the bar manager of a local VFW last Saturday about the smoking ban (quick aside: why does the state have to run TV ads now rubbing our loss of freedom in our faces?) and she is convinced it will lead to the closing of the establishment.
She said that yes, the mythical people who say "Now that the bars are smoke free I am going to go out more" are actually coming out (mind you, this one only one week after the ban, FWIW) but here's the problem: they don't drink! They drink soda, or ask for water. A bar doesn't make any money on a soda someone sips on for an hour.
She said even if the club doesn't close they will probably have to stop having live entertainment as there is just not enough liquor revenue to pay the band.
So basically all these years the smokers (also known as the people who buy alcoholic beverages at bars) were the ones footing the bill for the pop drinkers. They were the reason you could go see a band for no cover and have a good time with your 7-Up.
Them days is over. We may have to go to a situation where everyone pays a cover just to get into the bar--live music or not.
Who knew that smoking and drinking went hand-in-hand?
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