Restaurants respond to 2nd year anniversary of smoking ban

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Posted: Fri 10:09 PM, Jul 06, 2012

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Reporter: Kevin Hurd

Updated: Sat 9:32 AM, Jul 07, 2012

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Restaurants respond to 2nd year anniversary of smoking ban

"We've been able to bring in more families and people in to this business that we didn't see before," said Brad Windeshausen, owner of Whiskeys Grill and Bar in Altoona.

"We've definitely seen a loss in bar clientele," he said. "We've seen that people like to smoke and drink at the same time but that has pretty much led us to reinventing ourselves."

Part of that re-invention project happened several years before a smoking ban went in place, an outdoor patio and tiki bar, an early effort to keep customers he knew might one day lose.

"When we designed the establishment 6 years ago that was one thing I wanted to make sure we had because I knew the ban was coming because Minnesota and Iowa had those kind of restrictions in effect," he said.

Over at Broadway Bar and Pizza in Eau Claire, customers have not been able to smoke since 2008.

"Back in the day we had a couple of doors and this would be a closed off area, so people who wanted to smoke would hang out in this area," said General Manager Nathan Grivette.

Eau Claire passed their smoking ban two years before the statewide ban. Something that had an immediate impact but has leveled off.

"I think when the smoking ban took place in Eau Claire I think it might have had a bigger effect because people could go elsewhere for it," Grivette said.

"But since Broadway has been open it's pretty much been everywhere and I think that makes it not matter much over here."

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