MOUNT VERNON — The air is clear but the stools are empty in many bars, locally and across Ohio.
Business is down between 30 to 50 percent in Ohio bars since the statewide smoking ban began to be enforced May 3, 2007, according to Patrick Carroll, president of the The Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association. The association represents hundreds of bar owners statewide.
John Carhart, owner of the Corner Grill on South Main Street, said he has witnessed just such a decline since the smoking ban went into effect, although he attributes part of the downturn to a bad economy.
“The smoking ban has put a crimp on business in 2007,” he said. “We’re adjusting to something we never had to before.”
Carhart said bar owners have basically resigned themselves to following all rules and regulations, but said he feels as if the ban is not only hurting business but stomping on the civil liberties of bar owners.
Mike Mazza, owner of Mazza’s Restaurant and Michael J’s night club on West High Street, said he thinks the smoking ban has had a negative impact on bar business, but he also thinks money is a factor.
“I think people have less money to spend on entertainment at the end of the week,” he said.
Mazza said he thinks more and more people are deciding to buy alcohol and drink it at home instead of paying higher prices in a bar. He added that his restaurant business remains steady, but he has noticed people are less likely to stay for a drink or two after their meal.
The Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association is lobbying the state Legislature to allow a smoking permit for owners of bars where less 10 percent of gross receipts flow from food sales. The request also includes allowing bowling alleys to let customers smoke after 6 p.m., and to allow smoking in private clubs and tobacco shops.
Carrol said he is seeking to help struggling bar owners stay in business, and feels the smoking ban is a violation of constitutional rights. He wants to get 140,000 people to sign a petition to be presented to the Legislature. If the request for a special smoking permit is denied, he said, the association will attempt to gather the signatures required to put the issue on the ballot in November.
The association is the group which obtained a temporary restraining order that delayed enforcement of the smoking ban. It has also filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ban; that lawsuit is still pending.
