Tavern Guild says business mostly unchanged; only 1 of 66 citations was issued at a gay bar
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| Alan Pierce and Michael Doughman. |
At the Round-Up Saloon, business is up 10-20 percent in the month since Dallas’ new smoking ban took effect on April 10, including a 40 percent spike during the first weekend, according to co-owner Alan Pierce.
But at Illusions on Maple Avenue — despite the recent addition of a patio out front —business is down a whopping 40 percent overall as a result of the smoking ban, said owner Eddie Bonner.
Meanwhile, at the four clubs owned by Caven Enterprises along the Cedar Springs strip, there’s been no significant increase or decrease in business that can be attributed directly to the smoking ban, according to Caven spokesman Rick Espaillat.
"I think it depends on what your general audience is in your bar to begin with," said Michael Doughman, executive director of the Dallas Tavern Guild, an association of about 20 gay and lesbian bars and clubs in Dallas. "A couple people [members] have said business is off, and a couple have said it’s better, but the majority across the board have not noticed much change at all."
Doughman added that even for Tavern Guild members reporting declines in business, it would be difficult to pinpoint whether the dropoff is due to the smoking ban or the bad economy. But he said he believes the doomsday scenarios promulgated by smoking ban opponents are proving to be false.
Doughman also said there have been no reports of major issues related to enforcement of the ban, despite a few visits by city inspectors to the Cedar Springs strip.
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| JOHN WRIGHT/Dallas Voice Patron Doug Tull smokes on the new patio outside Illusions — which customers affectionately refer to as "the cage" —Â on Tuesday afternoon, May 5. Illusions owner Eddie Bonner, who installed the patio in response to the city’s new indoor smoking ban, said business is down 40 percent at Illusions since the ban took effect on April 10. |
According to records obtained this week from Dallas Health and Environmental Services, 66 smoking citations were issued citywide from April 10 through May 1.
Chauncy Williiams, a sanitation supervisor with the department, said a similar number of citations was issued after a ban on smoking in restaurants took effect in 2003. Williams said he expects the number of citations to go down as individuals and businesses adapt to the new ban.
The records show that only one of the citations, which carry a $200 fine, was issued at a gay bar.
On April 18, a patron but not management was cited for a smoking violation inside J.R.’s. Caven’s Espaillat said the patron "apparently lit up in a corner of the bar while city inspectors were there." During the same visit, J.R.’s received a notice of violation — which is essentially a warning — because signs weren’t posted on all doors saying smoking is prohibited.
Also receiving a notice of violation on April 18 was the Round-Up, which was flagged because the bar’s patio was more than 40 percent enclosed.
Pierce said the Round-Up later removed a metal awning that, in combination with the privacy fence that surrounds the patio, prompted the notice of violation. He also said this week that the Round-Up has obtained a building permit to add a second level to the patio. Among other things, the catwalk-like structure will provide some shelter for smokers below.
"The intent of the smoking ban was never to punish smokers and make them stand out in the rain," Pierce said.
Doughman noted that with the addition of a patio at Illusions, all members of the Tavern Guild now offer outdoor smoking areas on their premises.
But Bonner, an outspoken opponent of the ban, maintained that the newly fenced-in area between Illusions and the sidewalk on Maple Avenue — which customers refer to as "the cage" — hasn’t helped much.
"I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hang on," Bonner said. "I’m hoping things level off, but I’m still waiting for that rush of all the nonsmokers that were going to rush into these bars and cause there to be more business than there ever was before."
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 8, 2009.
All I can say is that as a non-smoker I am thrilled at the new ordinance. I rarely went out, primarily because I am allergic to cig smoke and could never last long at the club before feeling ill. Since the ban a month ago, I have been out twice and will be out again next weekend. It is nice to breathe easy and not smell gross when I come home. The economy is hurting business much more than the smoking ban, so hang in there, it will get better.
Looks like Illusions should have designed a better space than something that is “cage” like. That place is a fire trap anyway. You don’t want people to be lighting up in there.
To Bar Hopper: As the manager of Illusions, I can say that I have certainly heard the bar called many things, but fire trap was never one of them. Maybe you haven’t been into the bar in a while, but we now have 3 publicly accessible exits, an exit gate on “the cage”, and another exit that is accessible to employees, so I don’t think anyone would have trouble finding a way out of the bar in the unlikely event of a fire. And, since you can no longer smoke inside the building, logic would dictate that the chances of a fire have diminished considerably.
We love feedback here at Illusions and if you would like to contact me with other suggestions or issues about the bar, please send me an email at michaelw@dallasillusions.com or take a few minutes to complete our short 10-question survey at https://survey.dallasillusions.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
To kia: I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm for Illusions. That kind of customer fervor is what has kept us going strong for five years. All of the GLBT bars in town (with few exceptions) strive to work together to create a cohesive community. That’s what makes the Dallas GLBT community stand out from the crowd. I hope to see you soon!
Illusions business is off 40%? Mr Bonner call tell us anything. But I want to see the actual figures. The books baby. Illusions has a major problem, no parking and the street is torn up and an owner that gives the impression the joint is closing. Hmmm, think that might be why business is off. Be positive Bonner, it just might help business. Move Illusions to the old Crews Inn location, that would be an improvement.
did the cres inn close down?
i love the new smoking ban…
now you can breath and enjoy the music…thank you dallas for the change!!!
The “figures” are a matter of public record that you can view via TABC. Funny, you did’t criticize the statement by Round Up that sales were up 50% the first weekend or up 10% to 20% in the last 3 weeks. You must not have been to Illusions in a while if ever, because there is ample parking (quite a bit more than the Crews Inn location). The street is another matter. The city of Dallas is making repairs, and there’s not much I can do about it. And, simply stating facts can be seen as negative or positive depending on what those facts are. If I state it is going to rain today, and you don’t like the rain, I just made a negative statement. If I said the sun will shine & you like the sunshine, I just made a positive statement. However, on a separate note, we just had one of the biggest weekends celebrating our five year anniversary, so thanks to all of you who came out to show your support as we showed our appreciation to our loyal and new customers.
I have several improvements recently made and being made to the bar location and have stated I hope that the recent decline is temporary. Not all comments made during interviews are published. If you’d like to contact me for more information or have concerns about the bar you would like to address, feel free to contact us at info@dallasillusions.com or take the online survey we have that has already been posted by the manager here.