The Impact of Smoking Bans on Bars and Restaurants

Over the past few years, a number of municipalities in Wisconsin have considered completely banning smoking in bars and restaurants. To date, only Appleton, Madison, and Shorewood Hills have passed comprehensive bans, but a recent proposal to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in the City of Milwaukee has placed the largest community in the state square in the middle of this issue. Controversy inevitably surrounds smoking bans, with advocates citing concerns for health of their consumers and employees as motivation for proposing bans, while bar or restaurant owners are concerned with the potential adverse impact on their business, and smokers are concerned about the infringement of their rights. Overall, the unknown impact on businesses tends to draw the most attention and is the focus of much of the debate. The health benefits created by this regulation are likely fair to assume, but what is the impact of a smoking ban on the average bar or restaurant? Are bars and restaurants impacted in the same way? Do different community characteristics have an impact on the outcomes of smoking bans? These are all questions that we will address in this discussion of the impact of smoking bans on the bar and restaurant industries.