Daily News

Mecklenburg officials want state OK for county’s own laws

KERRY HALL

khall@charlotteobserver.com

Are smoking bans bad for business?

Ask Charlotte business owner George Pappas six months from now.

Pappas’ bowling center, Park Lanes on Montford Drive, is temporarily going smoke-free Sunday afternoons starting this weekend. It was a difficult decision, said Pappas, who estimates that more than half of his 1,600 league bowlers smoke. He said he can’t afford to lose those customers and keep the business afloat.

Still, with the latest reports about the dangers of second-hand smoke, combined with polls showing more people prefer nonsmoking establishments, Pappas, a nonsmoker, thought he’d experiment. He said he’ll keep Sunday afternoons smoke-free if he doesn’t lose money. If the trial’s a success, he said he’ll expand the no-smoking policy.

"We’ll see if the smoke-free customers put their money where their mouth is," he said. "I have to see it to believe it."

Pappas’ decision comes as momentum builds for local government control over smoking bans. Mecklenburg County commissioners plan to ask state lawmakers for permission to enact countywide smoking laws, and the Charlotte City Council voted this week to support the request. The Charlotte Chamber has not taken a position on the issue.

The impact of smoking bans on restaurants and bars has been debated since 1995, when California enacted the nation’s first smoking ban in public places despite warnings by restaurateurs of impending financial doom. More than a decade later, there’s no definitive answer despite dozens of studies. (more…)

 Email This Post  Print This Post

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 30th, 2006 at 5:51 am and is filed under Daily News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.