Employees of bars and restaurants around Fort Collins will be
removing ashtrays with mixed emotions today as the smoking ban goes
into effect.
“Personally, I’m excited because I have an allergy to smoke. I
think it’s a wonderful thing,” said Sarah Dalrymple, a bartender at
Washington’s Bar and Grill, 132 Laporte Ave.
Similar bans have been put into effect in other cities, so the
impact on business is expected to be minimal.
“I really don’t think it will affect business,” Dalrymple said.
“The reason I don’t think so is because they banned it in Boulder
and everyone still goes out there. I think we’ll have a hard time
at first, but we’ll be
okay.”
Some bars do not expect to lose much profit due to loss of
customers, but they may lose money elsewhere.
“We do sell cigarettes, so that may make a very small impact on
our income,” said Dave Selhime, the kitchen manager at Zydeco’s, 11
Old Town Square.
Starting today, the city of Fort Collins no longer allows
businesses to decide if they allow smoking or not.
“It should be the choice of the bar or restaurant owner. Smoking
should be allowed on patios. It’s not bothering anyone,” Selhime
said.
Selhime works mostly days, when the bar is less smoky, and he
recently quit smoking, so the smoke was not an irritation to
him.
“I just quit smoking, so cigarette smoke doesn’t bother me that
bad. If I don’t want to be around it, I don’t go out,” Selhime
said.
The majority of Fort Collins citizens wanted a law implemented,
because they believed smoking to be harmful.
“More than 70 percent of local residents think that second-hand
smoke is dangerous to their health, that restaurant and bar
employees deserve smoke-free workplaces and that smoking sets a bad
example for children,” according to a survey commissioned by the
city of Fort Collins and conducted by Vantage Marketing
Research.
While open option senior Brad Creque said that as a smoker he
disliked the ban, he saw that it was beneficial for employees.
“It’s good for the employees, because if they don’t like smoking
they don’t have to be around it,” Creque said.
Employees said that while the ban may be positive for them, it
might be a hassle for smokers.
“I don’t smoke, so the ban is fine with me. Smoke doesn’t bother
me, so it kind of sucks they can’t (smoke)” said Nicole Barnhart,
an employee at Lucky Joe’s Sidewalk Saloon, 25 Old Town Square.
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