Smoking ban's effects on area unpredictable
Kailey Delinger
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News
Negative impacts
Some restaurateurs say the ban will hurt businesses whose sales numbers are on the bubble between definition as a restaurant or as a bar. Failure to meet the qualifications for a bar, they say, could mean substantial profit loss.
Shannon Wynne, owner of Flying Saucer in downtown Fort Worth, said the ban is a threat because it isn't comprehensive. Flying Saucer will be exempt, he said, but the ordinance will hurt other businesses that sell a bit more food.
"Other businesses are going to be impacted a lot," he said. "The ban is going to hurt them terribly and the Fort Worth City Council is to blame."
Charles Espinosa, president of the Tarrant County Restaurant Association, agreed.
"The ban certainly can have a big impact," he said. "These restaurants that are primarily bars are going to be punished just because they sell more food during lunches or on weekends."
A manager at Pop's Safari, a bistro, cigar and fine wine shop in Fort Worth, said the ban would cut into at least one-third of profits.
The flip side
Others, however, say the worst is over - that the restaurants that took the brunt of smoking bans' effects in other cities only did so because other cities had yet to pass bans.
"The climates and the attitudes about smoking policy were different when Dallas passed its ban (in 2003), so there was a larger impact," said Jamee Green, executive director of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association. "Fort Worth is taking action now but all the surrounding cities have enacted different ordinances, so they probably aren't going to see as much of an impact."
Eric Tschetter, owner of The Pour House in downtown Fort Worth, is a TCU alumnus and member of the ad hoc committee the City of Fort Worth appointed to research a possible ban and agreed with Green.
"I don't think I see businesses losing business," he said. "I don't think it's going to affect anyone enough to where they'll go out of business. But I would like to see an across-the-board ban so people just can't smoke anywhere."
Some restaurateurs say the ban will hurt businesses whose sales numbers are on the bubble between definition as a restaurant or as a bar. Failure to meet the qualifications for a bar, they say, could mean substantial profit loss.
Shannon Wynne, owner of Flying Saucer in downtown Fort Worth, said the ban is a threat because it isn't comprehensive. Flying Saucer will be exempt, he said, but the ordinance will hurt other businesses that sell a bit more food.
"Other businesses are going to be impacted a lot," he said. "The ban is going to hurt them terribly and the Fort Worth City Council is to blame."
Charles Espinosa, president of the Tarrant County Restaurant Association, agreed.
"The ban certainly can have a big impact," he said. "These restaurants that are primarily bars are going to be punished just because they sell more food during lunches or on weekends."
A manager at Pop's Safari, a bistro, cigar and fine wine shop in Fort Worth, said the ban would cut into at least one-third of profits.
The flip side
Others, however, say the worst is over - that the restaurants that took the brunt of smoking bans' effects in other cities only did so because other cities had yet to pass bans.
"The climates and the attitudes about smoking policy were different when Dallas passed its ban (in 2003), so there was a larger impact," said Jamee Green, executive director of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association. "Fort Worth is taking action now but all the surrounding cities have enacted different ordinances, so they probably aren't going to see as much of an impact."
Eric Tschetter, owner of The Pour House in downtown Fort Worth, is a TCU alumnus and member of the ad hoc committee the City of Fort Worth appointed to research a possible ban and agreed with Green.
"I don't think I see businesses losing business," he said. "I don't think it's going to affect anyone enough to where they'll go out of business. But I would like to see an across-the-board ban so people just can't smoke anywhere."
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