Here are some words of wisdom from the bar owners who are enjoying the "flood" of patrons that the bars were promised with the smoking ban in Minnesota.

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Buggs Bar

925 North Concord

South Saint Paul, MN 55075

651-455-2195

www.myspace.com/buggsbar

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m writing to express how our business has been affected since the smoking ban took place. Please let me give you a brief history of the saloon.  My Father bought the bar 22 years ago, back then it wasn’t the nicest bar around. I remember growing up my Father would get up at 5 a.m. go and janitor at the bar, come home and pick me up for school, go back to the bar and bartend till I got out of school, pick me up, go home take a nap, eat dinner and bartend till 1 a.m. This is the hard work my Father put into the business. He has always thought that it would get passed down to me and Brother who is currently in Kuwait. The bar is completely different from 22 years ago, we are a friendly neighborhood saloon with pool tables, dart machines and we only serve pizza for food. We are very similar to a “Cheers”.

Our daytime bartender has been there for 10 years; she is 65 years old single woman and has been bartending for 30 years. She relies on her tips for her phone bill, rent and food. We had to cut her hours because lack of business. Our other bartender is a single Mom of 2 little girls and while her hours are still the same, her tips have dropped $150.00 per week. I am a Mother of a 17 month old girl, and my tips have dropped $100.00 per week. I count on my tips to buy diapers, food, clothes and my mortgage. We have all been affected by the ban. We have had to open later, cut hours and if we aren’t busy at night, we have to close. Our business has gone down by a third since the ban took affect. We also have charitable gambling in our bar. The organization is the Vietnam Vets of America. They usually every year give away 3 scholarships to students in the area and they have had to cut back to only 2 now. Our alcohol and liquor sales have dramatically decreased. Our sales tax is at the lowest it’s ever been.  Our charitable gambling isn’t donating as much anymore. This has really hurt our business and we hope that you can see that the ban has affected so many people and it’s hard. We hope that you will consider this letter in your vote.

Thank you,

Crystal Bentson  (Buggs Bar Manager)

Barnacles Story

Since the smoking ban was enacted in October, I have watched our numbers slowly dwindle from a 6% loss in October to a 26% loss in January (our busiest month of the year). Please feel free to check my sales tax records. Prior to the ban, this trend was not happening and was going in the other direction. We have had to cut our employees hours and send them home early due to lack of customers in the bar. The band is playing on a Saturday night and there are less than 10 people in the bar. We are going to have to cut out our bands on the weekends..cannot afford them any longer. One day in October, I was out cleaning the garage and my husband came outside and said to me, "I was wondering where every one went", well here there were more people standing outside  our bar (smoking) than there was in the bar. Approximatley 75% of our clientle smoke and 25 % do not, we have a lot of overhead and our smoking customers limit their time in our bar. You cannot blame them , it is way too cold up north by the lake to be standing outside when you can be nice and warm in your fish house relaxing and having a drink and smoke. We are worried about our customers in the winter time, even though we put salt down by the doors and entryways (because of the ice), several customers have slipped and fallen. One of these days someone will get hurt really bad if not tragically. We do our best to shovel and keep the walkways clear but sometimes mother nature just takes over and it is a losing battle. One of our employees has a small child and needs all the hours we can give her...but we just don't have the hours anymore and the tips of course are way down also since the customer base has dwindled. We have the same quantity of ice houses going out (if not slightly more) but less people coming into the bar and less time spent in the bar.

Sheila Kromer

Barnacles Resort

From: buzz bauman <buzzathome@comcast.net>
Date: February 15, 2008 5:26:41 PM CST
To: Karla Bigham <rep.karla.bigham@house.mn>, Katie Sieben <sen.katie.sieben@senate.mn>, tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us
Subject: smoking ban results

Dear MN State Elected Officials, some feedback regarding the smoking ban from my perspective as a weekend club musician. I had invited you all to come to Harbor Village Bar & Restaurant and dance to my band after the smoking ban was put in effect. None of you came. Sad to say, they decided to close the doors due to loss of revenue at the beginning of December. They are hoping to remodel the bar and perhaps reopen this spring. I have other venues I play and can play. They too are complaining about loss of revenue. Previously I could comfortably book the band (depending on occupancy of the club) from $1200.00 - $800.00 for a weekend engagement. I'm down to $600.00 or less for a weekend as the club owners can't budget for more or they are now having live music one night a weekend instead of two, or not at all. This situation is compounded by gas prices so high that some jobs are barely worth playing. I had thought that living in America and the state of Minnesota meant that we have rights and choices. Tobacco & Alcohol use is legal. Using California and Florida as an example of smoking ban success means nothing compared to Minnesota and it's cold winters. You've successfully backed the tavern Industry in this state into a corner that they cannot remove themselves from. In addition, the Native American Casino's are taking even more business as the smoking ban doesn't effect them. You need to revisit and compromise the smoking ban to help Minnesota Bars & Taverns compete and stay in business.

Buzz Bauman
St. Paul Park MN.
651-459-2884

----- Original Message -----

From: Kevin

To: Sheila Kromer

Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 11:34 AM

Subject: Impact of Smoking Ban on our 2 Minnesota Bars -Our personal Story-

  March 6th 2008

My name is Stacy Irwin. My husband ( Kevin Irwin) and I own and operate two bars in Minnesota.

        They are Smitty's Bar-n-Grill in Chisago City MN, and The Border Bar-n-Grill in Taylors Falls, MN. 

The Border Bar Smoking ban story:

 The Border Bar-n-Grill is located just a "stones throw" from the Wisconsin border.  Some people come into this bar and are not even sure if they are in Minnesota or Wisconsin. We have watched many people walk out when they realize they cannot smoke, and then realize how close they are to the smoking bars across the river.  Some look sheepish and apologize when they leave without making any purchases, and some just walk right out.  We hear time and time again how unfair people think this is.  Our sales are down over 40% since the smoking ban went into effect. We have a beautiful, empty bar-

    The bars across the river are busier than they have ever been. Several have gone on record saying how impressed they are at how good their businesses are doing. We take great pride in our businesses. Our bar has excellent burgers, a clean and friendly enviroment and many great specials.  We have had to just sit back and watch while these Wisconsin bars have been "GIVEN" much of our business over a goverment passed law.    

 They don't even have to compete with us anymore.  If they want to, they can raise their prices, have dirty bars, and serve "ok" food and just be handed over customers.  Is this the American way?   We have went into some of the neighboring Wisconsin bars and seen many of our customers sitting at the bar, smoking and drinking. They all say the same thing. "We want to smoke when we go to bar. Sorry".  The non-smokers are gone too.  They walk into an empty bar, see that nothing is going on, and then cross the river to go to the bars where the people and fun are.  They are NOT sitting in empty bars enjoying the smoke-free enivorment! 

The Smittys' Bar Smoking ban story.

Smitty's Bar-n-Grill

  Our sales are down 20% since the smoking ban went into effect.  Our bartenders have seen a decrease in the amount of tips that they are used to getting.  Many customers will stop in to say hello, stay for a quick drink, and then go home or to a friends house, where they can enjoy a beer and cigarette.  We added a very costly outdoor smoking patio, but with the harshness of Minnesota winters, people do not want to stand outside in the cold.  This bar has been in business for over 40 years and has been a "Cheers" type bar.  Blue collar workers come in after work to relax with friends and enjoy themselves. The smoking ban has made the whole atmosphere different.   Soda Pop drinkers come in to eat and then they leave. Big money there- This is not what the basis of this bar has ever been.  Many non-smokers have complained to us about the negative effects this ban has had on the bar. 

    A nail salon in the mall  smells more toxic to most of these guys, and yet you can go to any mall in Minnesota and see a woman with her children in tow, getting fake nails put on. What about those nasty fumes and chemicals>? What about the employees working there, with their hands in toxins all day long?  The consensus is this-   Put a sign on the door saying something like this- "SMOKING IS ALLOWED HERE". "No One Under 18 ALLOWED".  "Enter at your own risk".    The bottom line is that it should be our choice!   If other bars want to remain smoke free, good for them! It gives people choice!  It is a great thing. Let us make this decision based on our own personal sales.  

      In closing I want to say that we are doing "Theater Night" at both of our bars.  We have certain times that we are doing it, and we are impressed at how responsive our customers have been to it.  Our sales have shown that the majority of our customers prefer to smoke while they are in the bar, or don't mind to be in a bar that has smoke. We have set times that we are not doing it, to cater to the non-smokers that are there on more of an "eating" basis.  We feel that we should be able to make our own, "Smoking" and "Non-Smoking" times, based on our customers and our personal sales.   Thanks for taking the time to listen.   Sincerely,

      Kevin and Stacy Irwin

By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

The Old Clover Inn here and scores of other bars are evading a statewide smoking ban by interpreting literally William Shakespeare's observation that "all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

Bars, nightclubs and taverns are holding "theater nights" to take advantage of an exemption in the ban that allows smoking by performers in theatrical productions. In participating bars, every employee and customer is an actor, and drinking, chatting, playing pool — and smoking — are part of the performances. Since the first performance on Feb. 9, more than 100 bars across the state have joined the protest.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have passed smoking bans that cover restaurants and bars, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says. Four other states ban smoking in restaurants but exempt stand-alone bars. A 2005 Gallup Poll found that 40% of Americans supported setting aside non-smoking areas in bars, while 29% said smoking should be totally banned in them and 28% said there should be no smoking restrictions.

The Old Clover Inn, a homey tavern on a county road, calls its nightly production As the Clover Turned. A playbill advises that the play features "numerous uncredited actors in the role of bar patrons." There's no actual performance, but everyone who donates $1 for a button that says "Act Now!" is considered an actor and is free to smoke.

Old Clover Inn owner Dan Mundt says theater nights are a way to bring back patrons he lost when the ban took effect Oct. 1, but state officials served notice this week that they intend to end the bars' experiments in showbiz. On Thursday, Mundt received a letter from the Department of Health notifying him that theater nights are illegal.

Minnesota Health Department Commissioner Sanne Magnan says bars' theater nights are not covered by the exemption and warns that her agency will begin enforcing the ban, which means establishments that allow smoking face fines of up to $10,000.

"We really think that the curtain is going to fall," Magnan says. "These theater nights are attempting to circumvent" the law.

'A mean-spirited law'

State Rep. Tom Huntley, a chief author of the ban, says the exemption was requested by the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and other theaters. "I can't imagine Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca without a cigarette in his hand," he says, but the law did not intend to permit bar theatrics. "If these bars keep going around the law, they better be prepared to pay a lot of money in legal expenses," he says.

Mark Benjamin, a lawyer who discovered the loophole and came up with the idea for theater nights, says he expects some bar owners to ignore the warning. "I don't see any legal reasoning behind it," he says. He predicts that if citations are issued, courts would "rule that this is a perfectly legal activity."

The Old Clover Inn faces new local restrictions, too. The Vadnais Heights City Council this week voted to require licenses for free theatrical performances. Currently, only theaters that charge admission must be licensed.

That's bad news for Mundt, whose revenue declined 30% after the ban. He laid off one of his five bartenders and considered closing on Mondays before theater nights revived business. Mundt plans to hold his final theater night Tuesday, before the new city regulation takes effect.

Benjamin, a former smoker and former Marine, decided to take on the smoking ban after learning that his local VFW in Isanti and other military clubs were losing business. "It's a mean-spirited law that disrespects our veterans and blue-collar bar owners," he says.

It took Benjamin three months to persuade a bar to hold a performance. The first was at Barnacle's Resort on Mille Lacs Lake on Feb. 9. After the ban took effect, says Sheila Kromer, who owns Barnacle's with her husband, Jim, "there were more customers outside smoking than inside. It was just terrible."

In January, the bar's busiest month because it's a popular ice-fishing destination, business was down 26% from a year earlier. "I was desperate," Kromer says. When Benjamin suggested the performance, she told him, "What have we got to lose?" Benjamin showed up at the first Barnacle's performance wearing velvet tights, a puffy shirt and plumed hat and proclaimed dramatically, but since then few productions have featured real acting.

Huntley says a "short-term downturn" in business after the ban takes effect is to be expected, but most bars rebound after a few months. The law, he says, was meant to protect employees and patrons from secondhand smoke.

Patrons would like a choice

Customers at the Old Clover Inn say the issue is more complicated than that. "It's a stupid law," says smoker Jim Suchy, a disabled Vietnam veteran. "We should have put it to a vote of the people." Terry Nyblom, a smoker and auto technician, agrees. "It's amazing how these politicians can screw up somebody's income without thinking twice," he says.

Retiree and smoker Dave Bergman says he came to the Old Clover Inn less often when the ban was being observed. He thinks bar owners should have the option of allowing or banning smoking, and customers could choose which sort of bar to patronize.

Liz Wright, a nurse and occasional social smoker, appreciates smoke-free bars and doesn't mind standing outside to smoke, but she likes that idea. "This is America and we should have a choice," she says.

Nancy Schwarzrock, a personal care attendant and non-smoker, prefers not to be surrounded by smokers but worries that places like the Old Clover Inn will be forced to close. "Who are we hurting? I have a choice to come in the bar or not come in the bar."

CGAA bingo hall closing

Patricia Drey Busse South Washington County Bulletin
Published Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Cottage Grove Athletic Association Bingo Hall will close April 11, the CGAA Board of Directors decided Monday night.

Gambling and bingo hall manager Mary Perren said the hall’s decline in revenues was mostly a result of the statewide smoking ban enacted last October, although the slow economy could be partly to blame, she said.

The hall, located next to Rainbow Foods off of 80th Street, used to bring in $100,000 in profits per year. Proceeds go toward the Cottage Grove Athletic Association programs. The hall saw its most profitable August and September ever last year, she said. Since the ban was put in place, though, receipts have been down 50 percent, meaning the hall has been losing money.

I think the politicians at the Capitol should have really looked at the impact when they passed this,” she said. “We had a wonderful smoke eater and they wouldn’t allow any type of compromise.”

Perren said charitable gaming across the country has been hit hard by smoking bans, and she expected Cottage Grove’s hall would suffer from the ban. After the closure, she’ll go from working full time for CGAA to part time, and the hall’s 30 staff members will be looking for other jobs.

“It’s a very sad time for all of us,” she said.

The bingo hall was CGAA’s biggest fundraiser, but Perren said the organization also brings in money by selling pull tabs. They have one site at American Motorsports, and will open another one at Franke’s Bar in St. Paul Park.

She said state regulations on charitable gambling mandate that expenses must be less than 70 percent of receipts for a bingo hall to keep operating. An organization that does not stay within those guidelines can be fined, she said.

The association’s lease on its space is up at the end of April she said, and they’ll be looking for another location to house the CGAA offices and meetings.

Other charities started the bingo hall more than 15 years ago, she said, and CGAA got involved with it in 1992.

Five months in, businesses still feeling effects of smoking ban
DL-Online - Detroit Lakes,MN,USA
That doesn’t include creating a theatre night where patrons are called actors and allowed to smoke during the performance, because Larson said it isn’t ...
See all stories on this topic

Five months in, businesses still feeling effects of smoking ban
Amber Nohrenberg
DL-Online - 03/09/2008

DETROIT LAKES — It’s been five months since the Freedom to Breathe Act was put into effect in Minnesota, and some area bars and clubs are still feeling the crunch in business the smoking ban has created.

The general consensus is that customers haven’t been staying long, if they show up at all, and non-smokers haven’t filled in the gaps created by smokers leaving.

“We haven’t seen any increase in non-smokers coming in,” said bartender Dawn Mattson at the Detroit Lakes American Legion.

Mattson said customers still don’t like the idea of the smoking ban. The American Legion went through all the measures before the ban; it had a non-smoking area and installed air cleaners to ensure comfort for non-smokers, she said.

“I think they just feel it’s a right that was just taken away from them. They understand it when there’s food being served, but not in the liquor establishments,” Mattson said. “Especially our veterans, because a lot of them, that’ s where they got started smoking is actually when they were serving, that was part of their rations, the cigarettes.”

She hasn’t heard about people in her group being thrilled about the smoking ban, especially since the legion had gone to all the measures to accommodate non-smokers before the ban was in place. Mostly, the worry now is about the future of the club.

“They’re worried that business is down and they want to ensure that their club is always here to enjoy,” she said.

“I just really wish the Legislature would have just maybe re-thought it a little bit and put some hours on the time when smoking was allowed or said you had to have certain air cleaners. Anything but just a complete ban on it,” she said.

“We all work hard to keep our business, and that’s really hard when we haven’t seen an increase in non-smokers coming in here. I wish I could say that we’ve seen that, but we haven’t.”

Del Nelson, a bartender at VFW Post 1676 said the y haven’t seen an increase in non-smokers coming in. He said they’ve had to close on Sundays because no one has been coming in, and the lunch crowds and Bingo attendance are way down. Non-smokers just aren’t picking up the slack from smokers not going to the bar.

“Here I am again, in the middle of the afternoon, when we used to have 10, 15 people, and I’ve got two now,” he said.

Sandbar Sports Bar and Café bartender Stacey Cresswell said she hasn’t noticed a lot fewer people since the smoking ban went into effect. The bar installed a heater in its outdoor smoking area for the winter weather and most people have gotten used to the ban.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s calmed down a lot. People are just getting kind of used to it and there’s nothing really you can do,” she said.

Mary Thomssen sells pull-tabs at the Sandbar, and said business hasn’t been bad. “Not worse than any other place,” she said.

It’s maybe a little bit slower than before the ban, but winter is usually slower. She also said she thinks people are watching their money with things like the increased cost of gas.

Audubon Municipal Liquor Store manager Pauli Larson said the smoking ban is hurting a lot of people.

“All of these people who went to the Legislature and said “Oh yes, if there were no smoking in bars, we’d go to bars”—no they won’t. They’re not showing up and yes, it is hurting business for everyone in this industry,” Larson said.

Off-sale liquor is up, but Larson said she’d rather see the community back in the bar. They have been working on creating special activities to get people to come in.

They had karaoke last weekend, and have more events coming up in March, with extended St. Patrick’s Day activities, a Mardi Gras night, and a possible wine-tasting event.

“I believe you have to get creative in planning special events at your establishment to draw the crowds in,” she said.

That doesn’t include creating a theatre night where patrons are called actors and allowed to smoke during the performance, because Larson said it isn’t compatible with a municipal liquor store.

She had thought about looking into it, and has no problem with people who do it, but it doesn’t fit for her business in Audubon.

“Finding this loophole and trying to find a way to beat the system is not what a municipal liquor store is all about. We are about the community, we are about what is best for the community, so therefore we will not be doing this,” she said.

“It’s like pushing the envelope, it’s not actually illegal, but it’s as close to it as you’re going to get, but that’s not what a municipal is about.”

She said regular customers who are smokers have very little problem with going outside to smoke. They have signs for customers to put on their tables when they go outside for a smoking break so waitresses won’t remove the drinks. There is room under the roof, next to the building, so smokers aren’t completely exposed to snow or rain, but Larson said she would eventually like to look into creating a shelter outside.

And while Larson would like to see more non-smokers or other smokers back in the bar, just to say hello and get the community back in the bar enjoying themselves, she appreciates the support the municipal liquor store has gotten from the community.

“We really appreciate the support from the community. It has been fantastic. And any dollar they spend in here goes back to the community, so it’s greatly appreciated.”

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Funari" <hdiver@divertunes.com>
 
> I run a small Karaoke & DJ company based out of Rosemount. I
> currently have 3 nights a week at my local American Legion. Which
> has increased from 1 when I started back there 2 years ago. They
> started with Friday nights, added Thu about 6 months later and then
> January 07 added Saturdays.
>
> My Thursday night business used to be mediocre, BINGO brought in a
> number of people before BINGO who'd sit. Then after BINGO I would
> generally get quite a few people who would come into the bar and hang
> out for an hour or two prior to leaving. In addition, the breaks
> that take place during Bingo used to see a large crowd coming into
> the bar, usually lining up at the pull-tabs.
>
> We can no longer tell in the bar proper when there's a Bingo break.
> We don't see hardly any traffic coming across and the Bingo crowd is
> suffering. My karaoke show now consists of a core group of regulars
> and I'm not seeing hardly any traffic coming from the Bingo into the
> bar when it's over.
>
> Additionally, there's been problems for some time getting standard
> wages for karaoke shows. The norm when I started in the business in
> 1996 was $150. That was up to $200 by 2000. Then we got the rash of
> people opening karaoke businesses that had no clue what they were
> doing, in the computer age it became really cheap to start a business
> and pirate an entire library. This brought us right back to the $150
> a night price. Now, bar owners are having trouble even justifying
> that because the crowd just isn't there anymore. When you factor in
> gas, setup time, less than $150 just isn't worth the work to
> transport and set up all of the equipment.
>
> We still have the expense of keeping the library current, patrons
> want to sing what they hear on the radio, these discs run between $15
> - 30 each, plus the wear and tear on equipment. (I can't count the
> number of monitors I've gone through over the years because someone
> drunk and not paying attention took out the monitor stand!)
>
> I've already been warned by the commander of my Legion that I can
> pretty much count on Thursdays being taken away for the summer this
> year because the ban is adding to slow sales. This very well could
> cause my van to be lost since it's my 3 nights a week that are paying
> my van payment. Marketing for Weddings isn't going well either.
> People just aren't spending as much there because of the economic
> hard times.
>
> There are so many industries that are suffering in addition to the
> bars that it's not even funny. There's a blog I just ran across from
> a person who installed Smokeeter systems who was laid off in 2006
> because of the threat of the ban. Sales went down while bar owners
> waited to see what would happen. This guy lost his job, his house &
> his car.

Bartender George Gillespie Story

I have bartended for 12 years full time at the same
bar in Albert Lea since the ban I have been cut from
40 hours a week to 15 hours a week the pay checks are
not covering my child support payments. I had to go to
court and save my drivers license for failing to pay
the full amount of child support, I was sending 100
per cent of my wages and living off the tips. My child
Support obligation is 500 a month I barely make 482
before taxes. I have a few credit card companies
calling day and nights and weekends harassing me
wanting paid I cannot pay. I am still waiting for that
new business to come through the door.

George Gillespie

Galdiator Bar in Gilbert (owner John Strle).

Davey said in the week and a half that the Gladiator has had smoking, she’s seen business pick up substantially. Al Brown, manager of Big Al’s Bar in Gilbert, said that when the ban went into effect in October, his business dropped by half. But he said about 25 percent of it has returned in the three weeks since his bar started staging the plays.

(Taken from Duluth news tribune)

Deb Davy says the Gladiator was taking in less than it was paying out due to the smoking ban.