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