Bar Owners In Evansville Say Smoking Ban Hurting Business Badly
By: David Shepherd
Updated: May 18, 2012
EVANSVILLE - The city-wide smoking ban, which took effect April 1, is already having an economic impact on local bars and fraternal organizations, according to some bar owners.
Anti-smoking advocates say it's a victory for public health. But owners of some businesses and private clubs see it a bit differently.
"People are staying home. They're not coming out because they can't smoke," explains customer Mike Rich.
"I try to have a drink and a cigarette and I can't do it. So I come out here and I go home."
And veterans of foreign wars who say their friends just aren't coming out now that they can't drink and smoke; a right they feel they earned while defending our country.
"These guys paid for this property, paid for that building and paid when they served our country," explains Dan Fuller from the VFW Hall in Evansville.
And it's having a trickle down affect on the employees. Barbara Houston has been a bartender at the VFW hall on Pollack Avenue for 13 years. Managers say they are currently operating at a 65-percent deficit since the ban took effect.
"Nothing's ever been this bad," explains Barbara Houston, a bartender of 13 years. "Now, it's just dead. I mean there's days where I might to $80 a day. That's horrible."
