Smokefree
Dining is Best
Smokefree
Dining Is Best
was a single-sheet brochure created by GASP before the passage
of the 2006 NJ SFAA, when restaurants and bars were smoking
permitted but could voluntarily choose to go 100% smokefree.
This brochure gave restaurant
owners and managers a quick outline of the advantages of smokefree
dining.
The
text of the brochure was:
You can
increase profits and customer satisfaction.
More than 85% of New Jerseyans don't smoke.
Many are offended by smoke but say nothing -- they just don't return.
Secondhand
smoke is a health hazard. It causes heart disease and lung
cancer and kills more than 50,000 Americans every year.
Restaurants
are often smokier than other places -- two to five times
smokier than the typical workplace, even six times as polluted as a
busy highway. Restaurant employees - often young people and people without
health insurance - have much higher rates of lung cancer and heart disease
than employees in other workplaces.
Smokefree
dining is popular. Studies by the National Restaurant Association,
the Gallup Poll, Zagat Surveys, plus an Eagleton Institute survey in
New Jersey, and others show customers want smokefree dining.
Smokers
accept smokefree policies at work, in other public places,
and in restaurants. In fact, one out of every four New Jersey
smokers say they're bothered by secondhand smoke in restaurants (Eagleton
survey). Smokers can dine without smoking. Nonsmokers can't hold
their breath throughout a meal.
Smokefree
dining is good for business. Thousands of proprietors have
discovered the business benefits. And there's proof:
-
Nonsmokers
spend 2.5 times more than smokers. (Cornell University study)
-
A
study of every community in the United States with smokefree restaurant
ordinances concluded that they "do not adversely affect restaurant
sales." (American Journal of Public Health)
Cut
costs. No more cigarette burns. Less cleaning and repainting.
Cut air cooling, heating, and ventilation costs. Negotiate lower fire
and property insurance.
Reduce
problems. Eliminate disputes among customers about smoking.
Reservations and seating are simpler. Tables turn over faster when there's
no lingering to smoke cigarettes.
Keep
up with the competition.
There are several thousand smokefree restaurants in New Jersey and dozens
of smokefree bars. New ones are added at the rate of more than one a
day.
Protect
yourself from legal liability. The National Restaurant Association
has advised members they can be held responsible for employees who develop
disease from secondhand smoke. In one case, a nonsmoking waiter was
awarded almost $100,000. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
customers can also sue.
Keep
up with the law. A dozen states and hundreds of cities and
counties, including some in New Jersey, have smokefree restaurant and/or
bar laws. New Jersey law requires you to inform patrons about your policy
regarding smoking. (PL 1985, Chap. 186) State law underwrites your smokefree
policy and gives it legal status. (PL 1985, Chap. 187)
Smokefree
policies mean free publicity. New Jersey GASP will give you
a free listing in 100% Smokefree Dining in New Jersey, free listings
on the Internet, and promote smokefree dining in advertising and press
releases. (Please see below.)
Smokefree
policies protect children. Secondhand smoke is very dangerous
for children. Young people are more likely to be healthy and free from
addiction to nicotine if they grow up in a smokefree world.
What Restaurant
and Bar Owners Say:
"Everything
in our bar and restaurant stays so much cleaner now that we're smokefree.
People who smoke come here, too, and say they like it. Owners work 12-15
hours a day to make a good future for themselves, but they may have no
future if they lose their health because of secondhand smoke." Bonnie
Petrock, Petrock's Bar and Grille, Belle Mead, smokefree since 1992
"We
had a fire started by a cigarette in our restaurant. We lost our business
and our home. Our new restaurant is entirely nonsmoking. We're booked
full every night, booked weeks in advance for weekend dining. We'd never
go back to allowing smoking." Michael and Marybeth Peters, Pierres's
Bistro and Bar, Morristown, smokefree since 1993
"With
smoking, there's always some problem - dirty ashtrays, butts in the dishes.
Besides, eventually there will be a law making restaurants smokefree.
This way, we got a jump on the competition." Josephine Deal and
Al Iellimo, Joe's Pizzeria and Vittoria's Ristorante, Summit, smokefree
since 1994
"The
smell of smoke has been replaced by the welcoming aroma of our cuisine.
Our staff is happier, our guests are happier. Rather than a bar half full
with patrons nursing cocktails, we now experience a bar full of guests
savoring appetizers to four course dinners." Elizabeth Alger and
James Black, The Frog and The Peach, New Brunswick, smokefree since 1997
Return
to GASP History
updated
January 29, 2010
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