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New faces, atmosphere since ban on smoking
Published Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Jane Burton has been a waitress at the Viking Cafe for 26 years. Since the Freedom to Breathe Act went into effect Oct. 1, it’s almost like working in a new place.
“I like the atmosphere better,” she said. “When I come home, I don’t smell like smoke and my hair doesn’t stink. I’m happy with it. Very, very happy.”
The Freedom to Breathe Act expanded the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) to prohibit smoking in all indoor public places and places of employment. The intent was to protect employees and the public from the health hazards of secondhand smoke. Some businesses worried about maintaining customers. Others, such as Viking Cafe owner Pat Shol, said the smoking ban has had little or no effect on business.
“The first few weeks, there was an initial buzz where that’s all everyone was talking about,” Shol said. “But then things got back to normal. We haven’t lost any regulars. We gained a few we haven’t seen in a while — they couldn’t come in here because of the smoke because they had health restrictions.”
“It smells good and I can breath better,” said one Viking regular, who wished to remain anonymous. “It’s not so smoky.” However, she said, she wouldn’t have stopped patronizing the Viking even if it hadn’t gone smoke-free.
As far as Burton can tell, going smoke-free has not resulted in a loss of clientele for the Viking — quite the contrary.
“I’m seeing new faces and I like that,” Burton said. “If we’ve lost any customers, it’s been few.”
“Our business has stayed stable,” Dale Svendsgaard, VFW bar manager, said. “From Oct. 1-20, business was actually up. Some, I suppose, were curious onlookers.”
“It’s a lot clearer because people are going outside to smoke,” he said. “And there’s no more ashtrays to clean up.”
Some establishments have tried to keep one step ahead of the change.
“We’ve tried to be proactive” to retain customers, said Tom Larson, general manager of the Z103, Bigwood Event Center and Best Western. “The week of the change we shampooed the carpets and cleaned the ductwork. We’re scheduled to remodel the bathrooms the end of November.”
While Z103 has always featured music, acoustic night has been added, prompted by the smoking change, to attract another audience. It proved so successful through October, it is being continued into November.
The ultimate outcome of the smoking ban remains to be seen, though.
“It hasn’t been that long,” Larson said. “The weather has been decent, so we’ve been seeing a lot of patrons going outside.”
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on October 31, 2007 at 5:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I believe this article speaks for itself. It is nice to hear the owner to the Viking make such postive comments about not losing business, and that nothing has changed. Even the regulars are still coming into the restaurant! No more ash trays to clean up, waitresses say they no longer have stinky hair when they go home, etc, etc.
This could not be a better article for the Freedom to Breathe Act. Even the VFW is reporting stable business. This may come to a surprise for some of the opponents of the smoking ban, but after it is all said and done we ALL will be enjoying a more healthy indoor environment!
This truly is great news!
Delilah
Posted by melindakay (anonymous) on November 1, 2007 at 6:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Acoustic night is great. I encourage the Z to keep it up! It definitely attracts an audience that wouldn't otherwise come, and all the regulars will still be there.
Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 1, 2007 at 7:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
MK why don't you just shut up, you moron
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 1, 2007 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Acoustic music is great, and not surprisingly the Z is giving it a GO! GO Z! Lenny must not appreciate the finer side of ACTUAL music!
Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 1, 2007 at 7:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why is a teacher hanging out in a bar? Is that a good example for an eleventh grader?
Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 1, 2007 at 8:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Do they play good golly miss MOLLY?
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 8:35 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh I don’t know????? What could go wrong with a teacher in a bar? I thought teachers were supposed to set a good example, besides what has this to do with you are you a busybody who has to stick her big nose into everybody’s business. Why don’t you read some of MK old posts then you will see why I told her to shut her big mouth and called her a moron.
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 10:13 a.m.
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Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 10:16 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You obviously do have a big nose otherwise you could see how childlike your writing is, where did you develop your writing skills? In a bar? I don’t have to answer my own questions you moron. But back to your humungous nose, if its so small how come it finds its way into every other persons post on this site?
Wait!, Wait! I’ll answer that…because it is a huge, bulbous, colossal, enormous, mammoth, king sized, monumental, prodigious, monster that finds its way (uninvited) into other peoples business. Why? Because you have no business of your own. The bartender at the Z has straws so big noses like you can drink beer without droning.
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 1:12 p.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Because I was not talking to you in the 1st place, big nose.
Get a life instead of someone elses. Drowning or droning you still need a straw, big nose.
Posted by ffprofessor (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 2:12 p.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I suppose you are right professor, she complains about my spelling but she does not even spell her own name the same every time.
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 2, 2007 at 9 p.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 3, 2007 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Pinocchio, I see you now refer to yourself as “we”. Is there really two of you or are you counting your bulbous nose? Are you lonely? Won’t anyone play with you? Don’t worry too much, I’ll throw you a bone now and then.
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 4, 2007 at 10:13 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 4, 2007 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If you know who Iam, why don't you expose me?
Posted by ffprofessor (anonymous) on November 4, 2007 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To Lenny and Delilah, is it your intention to make posting on this site a disagreeable experience for everyone or just yourselves? I look forward to the day when you both expose each other, then the rest of us will know who the real fools are. Failing that, the editors of this site should take steps to revoke your privileges to post here and remove all your sophomoric posts, regardless the username.
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 4, 2007 at 7:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ffprofessor,
I noticed some of your recent posts about a "stalker"? Are you becoming a stalker now? Kind of hypocritical to follow people around on this site is it not?
DELILAH
Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 5, 2007 at 8:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
WAKE UP BIG NOSE, HERE'S YOUR BONE.....nose Function: verb
Text: 1 to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose, see smell 1 2 to interest oneself in what is not one's concern <a neighbor who likes to nose around and discover everyone's secrets> — see interfere
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 6, 2007 at 7:32 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 6, 2007 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I’m glad to see your training is paying off big nose, I call you and you come, I don’t even have to use your name, just BIG NOSE and you answer. Hey BIG NOSE….snort, snort, snort here’s your bone…snort, snort.
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 6, 2007 at 9:14 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 6, 2007 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
See
Posted by Delilah (anonymous) on November 6, 2007 at 9:57 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on November 7, 2007 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Come, Big Nose, Come……I know you are not at your computer this morning because out my office window I can see a woman on the Cascade Street bridge looking over the rail, her nose is creating a V wave all the way to the River Inn. Snort, Snort.
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