GONE WITH THE SMOKEY WIND
Hazel’s Restaurant on Cleveland Street in Elyria, like all restaurants in the city, has gone smoke free. “We had a lot of people in at first but now nobody is coming in. We lost some regulars, they don’t come around anymore but we have some die hard customers who say they will never leave us.”The people at Hazel’s got so frustrated waiting for the non smokers to come into their smoke free environment, they posted the question on their outside sign. Time will tell if the sign will work in bringing the non smokers or the old regulars back inside.
posted by TMC NEWS at 6:39 PM
6 Comments:
Good for Hazel's!
I hope it works.
The restaurant I work at went non-smoking voluntarily in May of 2005.
I noticed an immediate 30-40% decrease in business.
I wrote the anti-smoking lobbies, to see what suggestions they had - and all any one would say - like a broken record - "If you go non-smoking - they will come".
Well, reality imposing itself as it usually does, I can speak from mt own experience - the non-smokers have not swarmed in - filling the stools of the smokers that left. Even with the state-wide smoking ban, perhaps - one would think leveling the playing field.
I have always felt that the non-smoking ammendment/laws would eventually be more of an economic issue than a a public health issue.
I know it's hurt my own personal economy.
So I echo Hazel's sentiments "Non-smoker's - where are you?"
This was never about cleaning up the air so more people could go out to eat. This was about passing more laws stopping anything and everything that annoys someone.
The people who voted for this BS law aren't going to go out any more than they did before. They're still at home scheming for the next law to intrude into people's lives.
And now we're finding out who the losers were with this law getting passed. Not the smokers!
And by the way, no, I'm NOT a smoker!
I went in Hazel's ONE time, about 6 years ago. It was so Smokey I left and never went back. I made that decision ALL ON MY OWN. Imagine that, the government or meddling people did not have to tell me not eat eat their if I don't like the smoke. I'm guessing Hazel's has not missed me one bit, because they stayed in business. Someone should start a petition to repeal this crazy anti-smoker law. If Hazel's wants to start one, I'll be happy to go their at least one more time to sign it. If that is the clientele they want that should be their right.
I am not a smoker either, but this law has overstepped some boundaries.
Good Luck to the owners!
okay, now that everyone has played the blame game...if you have a little dive of a diner and the only people who show up are the people who like the smell of smoke with their breakfast, lunch and dinner. who exactly do you expect to show up after you go non-smoking? I mean get serious. I haven't seen the building but the sign alone says to me, "buyer beware." Hazels put themselves into that niche by having a smokey spot in the first place. it will take time (and maybe some updating ie:change of menu & coat of paint) to get some non-smokers with some money in that place.
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Blame is placed right where it belongs.
The point is THEY didn't choose to go non- smoking. It was forced on them by people who think the govt. should run everything.
And I doubt very much that Hazel's has stayed in business all these years because people went there for the smoky atmosphere. That thinking is as ignorant as the new law!
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