Owners report no ill effects following statewide ban
By: Mike Mathis
A group of patrons were sitting at the bar at Triumph Brewing Company in Princeton on a recent evening. It was a familiar scene but with one crucial difference: no one was smoking as a result of a statewide ban on smoking in public places that went into effect a little over six weeks ago.
The Triumph patrons were split on whether the smoking ban was good or bad. "It’s definitely a good thing for me because I’m a non-smoker and my clothes used to stink," said David Stoeger of Plainsboro.
Frank Rivera of Hightstown, a former smoker, suggested that smokers be permitted to smoke in an area away from those who don’t. "I always have sympathy for smokers because it’s hard to quit," said Mr. Rivera, who said he quit smoking five times. "It’s tough to quit."
Having a smoke-free environment doesn’t guarantee that non-smokers won’t be exposed to smoke, said another Triumph customer. "If you have friends who smoke, you have to go outside (with them)," said Martin Haidacher of Princeton. "You don’t want to be left at the bar."
While the smoke has cleared in the state’s bars and restaurants, the debate over the recently-enacted ban on lighting up in public places appears to be continuing.
While owners and operators of area taverns and eateries say business has not suffered as a result of the ban, a restaurant advocacy group contends that it has.
Business hasn’t fluctuated at Triumph, but more people are smoking outside in front of the business, said Eric Nutt, corporate sales and public relations manager. Mr. Nutt said Triumph placed a "smoker’s outpost" outside which is "pretty full on a daily basis."
"We have had more compliments than complaints," Mr. Nutt said. "Actually, we’ve only had to ask one patron to stop smoking since the ban was implemented."
"I think it was long overdue," said Tom Yermack, manager of The Alchemist & Barrister in Princeton. Before the ban was enacted, "one or two" smokers vowed not to return to Alchemist & Barrister after it was imposed, Mr. Yermack said, but they’ve since come back. Mr. Yermack said the ban has encouraged customers who may have been reluctant to patronize the bar because they didn’t want to breathe the smoke to belly up.
New Jersey’s smoking ban prohibits cigar, cigarette and pipe smoking in restaurants, bars, private office buildings and other indoor spaces. Local health officers can levy fines of $250 to $1,000 on people who light up and on the businesses that let them.
The New Jersey Restaurant Association lost a court challenge to the ban prior to its going into effect. A survey the association conducted last month showed that 40 percent of respondents were negatively impacted by the ban, association President Deborah Dowdell said.
Many of the businesses that said business was down were bars, although pizzeria owners also responded that they experienced a decline in sales, Ms. Dowdell said. "(The ban) took successful businesses and reduced their sales," she said. "These are businesses that can’t absorb that. This is a high-cost, low-margin business.
"The smoking ban impacts the industry, depending upon what your business was prior to it going into effect," Ms. Dowdell added. "I suggest you will see a lot of businesses go out of business."
Mr. Yermack, the Alchemist & Barrister manager, said the ban has created a subculture of smokers who congregate in an alley next door to catch a smoke. "Our liquor license extends to our alleyway," Yermack said.
"It’s a 100-percent positive thing," Mr. Yermack said of the smoking ban. "People would balk going into the pub (when smoking was permitted). Now we can fill those rooms."
Tom O’Connor, manager of JB Winberie Restaurant & Bar in Princeton, also speculated that there may be some customers who dined at his establishment four or five times a week who may have stopped coming to the restaurant because they can no longer smoke there. He predicted they’ll return soon, however.
"I think they’re going to get tired cooking for themselves," Mr. O’Connor said.
Attendance at happy hour at JB Winberie is up, Mr. O’Connor said, and more patrons are sitting at the bar instead of at tables. The bar had a last call for smokers at 11:50 p.m. on April 14, Mr. O’Connor said.
"The first night, there were a couple of grumbles, but it’s not bad now," Mr. O’Connor said. "I don’t think (the ban has) hurt us."
The smoking ban has had little effect on business at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room in Princeton, according to Jim Byrnes, food and beverage director of the Nassau Inn, where the tap room is located. "It hasn’t been an issue at all," Mr. Byrnes said.
"People were looking forward to it. We still have regulars who smoke, and they respect everyone else’s rights," he said.

