NY State made Restaurants install "smoke areas" seperating the dining area. This was an enclosed area with ventilation. It cost some small restaurants $30,000 - $50,000 to comply if they wanted customers to be able to smoke.
Now NY State passed a Non-Smoking Law which rendered those 2-3 year old modifications junk.
Of course there is now no-smoking in bowling centers as well, and although it has not effected the # of bowlers per say, it has virtually killed their bar/restaurant business. Now those that would have stayed after, leave.
As stated by Bones, there now is a delay between games as smokers head outside to light up (yes, even in Buffalo snow).
Has the law helped? I believe it has and will improve peoples health down the road. But it has put a financial hurt on many business owners, especially bar/restaurants. It might not be so bad in warmer climates, but here in the northeast, people are now staying home, house parties, etc., rather than patronizing local gathering places.
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The Older We Get, The Better We Were
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