Smoking Ban in NC Restaurants and Bars Passed Today

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I can understand banning it in restaurants, but in Illinois they just ban it everywhere!
We had a nice coffee shop with two separate rooms so everyone was happy but that's over now.
 
I didn't see it covered in the article. How do tobacco shops and cigar bars factor into this?
 
History Major

Cigar bars are not covered under the bill nor are tobacco shops; just restaurants and bars. Under NC laws, bars have to get a certain percentage of their revenue from food. If they don't serve food they have to be private clubs; private clubs are not covered under the law either. So basically, anyplace that sells food is affected.
 
Rumor has it that there are a whole bunch of bars (maybe restaurants, too?) that are about to become "members only" in North Carolina. $1.00 gets you a membership fee good for one year.
 
Ah!!!! The ol' "private club" trick!!! I've lived in several states where this practice was used; quite effectively!! FTRPLT
 
Hopefully that trick is one that doesn't get wiped out...failed here on account of private clubs having employees...
 
TallSmoke":et36rz9r said:
Rumor has it that there are a whole bunch of bars (maybe restaurants, too?) that are about to become "members only" in North Carolina. $1.00 gets you a membership fee good for one year.
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We had a something similar happen when I lived in Columbia, SC. There was a statewide ban on bars staying open past 2 AM. This law didn't apply to private clubs so most bars began charging a one dollar "membership fee" for a month long "trial membership." There's always a way around it.
 
Georgia passed theirs a few years ago but it was tied to age...no one under 18 could be employed nor admitted in order for smoking to be allowed unless there was a separate room with it's own ventilation system...yada yada yada..

Living several miles outside a small town of 4200 the private club option is not feasible here. It's sad to see restaurant owners having to sit outside the front of their own restaurant to have a smoke. Of course the politicians that passed the law have their memberships paid to private clubs in Atlanta and other locations where they can smoke their contraband cigars or other choices.

I can only imagine the uproar if the anti-smoking laws were applied to BBQ restaurants, Hardees, Burger King and other similar restaurants that billow forth clouds of smoke.

Jim
 
Here in my town there is a petition going around to make it so you can't smoke inside any business, or within 50' of a door to any business. All started here because people want to take their children to the bar while they get hammered. Somehow smoking around them is bad, but having them around a bunch of people so loaded they are puking at the bar and losing most of their clothes isn't? I don't get that one . . .

Oh, and they are targeting a private club with it. They couldn't convince the board of the place to ban smoking so they are trying to force it on them.
 
All things considered, I don't see why a private club couldn't just...not comply. Assuming you have a select clientele, and own the premises, what is to stop people from smoking? If people in said club value their membership and the chance to smoke in peace, presumably it would stay a well-guarded secret...

I dunno, personally I don't understand it. During Prohibition, speakeasies were popping up all over the place. I'm not quite sure why something similar hasn't happened for smokers...

...or I'm just hanging out in the wrong part of town. :twisted:
 
My fav local dive is a smoking optional bar, its optional as long as no ones mentions it. Granted this only applys to cig smoking but they could care less about the ban.
 
I've heard of bars in dry counties getting away with serving alcohol with the "private club, $1 lifetime membership deal." I hope that works here for smoking. Those TAPS meetings won't be the same without smoking!!

-Andrew
 
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