English Smoking Ban

[Steve Burke]

The failure of the free market to provide smoke-free pubs leads me to suspect that the pent-up demand for them is a myth; I suspect that those people who say they don't go to pubs now because of the smoke won't go to pubs after the ban either.

 

Not so Steve. Peggy and I would certainly go to the pub more often if they were smoke free, and I know others who feel the same way. At present when travelling we've had to go to the some of the big chains as they're non-smoking - and for the most part put up with reheated poor quality food. From next year we'll have a lot more choice.

 

You wouldn't be a smoker by any chance would you?

[Elton]

I go to the pub occasionally, but would probably feel more inclined to go more often if I didn't come home stinking so badly of smoke. With me, it's not the health thing that irritates me, just the smell. I love fresh air.

 

For the record, I smoked for quite a few years. That said, I don't lecture strangers on what they should and shouldn't do with their bodies (although I do, rather hypocritically, with mates, considering I've been a drinker for years!). The dangers of smoking are well known.

[Steve Walker]

Not so Steve. Peggy and I would certainly go to the pub more often if they were smoke free, and I know others who feel the same way. At present when travelling we've had to go to the some of the big chains as they're non-smoking - and for the most part put up with reheated poor quality food. From next year we'll have a lot more choice.

 

Here's what I don't understand; if there are so many people who are crying out for smoke free pubs, why are there not plenty of them? Surely they would be packed and would make a killing, while the smoky pubs would go out of business?

 

You wouldn't be a smoker by any chance would you?

 

Nope. My objection is one of principle.

[DavyR]

Here's what I don't understand; if there are so many people who are crying out for smoke free pubs, why are there not plenty of them? Surely they would be packed and would make a killing, while the smoky pubs would go out of business?

 

There are lots of people who drink but don't smoke; comparatively few smokers who don't also drink.

 

At one time, if you went into any pub, it was likely to be smoky. Now a lot of pubs are more about food than drinking, and a lot of non-smoking drinkers patronise those, as they're less likely to be smoky.

 

Those pubs that presently are havens for smoking drinkers may attract new customers when they go non-smoking, or they may not. It's possible that they may have to make more effort to attract new customers if their smoking regulars stay away.

 

Non-smoking drinkers haven't been clamouring for smoke-free pubs because they've been exercising a choice they didn't have years ago - drinking at home (thanks largely to the much improved selection of alcohol from the supermarkets), or going to pubs (like one near me) that voluntarily went non-smoking a couple of years ago, or that concentrate on food and are less likely to be smoky.

[Steve Burke]

Here's what I don't understand; if there are so many people who are crying out for smoke free pubs, why are there not plenty of them? Surely they would be packed and would make a killing, while the smoky pubs would go out of business?

 

In many cases I suspect it's not being prepared to take the risk.

 

Additionally, if many drinking pubs asked their customers if they'd like a smoking ban I bet the answer would be no.

 

However an eating pub, especially chains catering for families, would probably get a different answer. Indeed one chain did - Innkeeper's Lodge that is now totally non-smoking including the bar, restaurant and the whole of the hotel. We went to one recently and it was so popular that we had a 45 minute wait for a table and had to queue for another 15 minutes to get to the carvery!

Edited December 4, 2006 by Steve Burke