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We still have a couple choice dates for your Christmas Party. Our private banquet room or semi-private north dining room is perfect for your company Christmas party. Call today for information and availability. Don't wait until they are gone!

 

Christmas Eve Serving 11am to 2pm

Christmas Day we are closed

 

New Years Eve Serving 4pm to 10pm

New Years Day Serving 12pm to 10pm  

 

by Ray

As we are coming up on the second anniversary of the Illinois smoking ban. I saw this article in the Chicago Tribune and thought it might be interesting to share where we stand from a business operator point of view. I realize that this has very little effect on most of you other than being able to go home from a night out without smelling like smoke. The last statistics I saw said less than 25% of the adult population smokes anymore.

The link below will take you to an article that details what some places in Chicago are doing about violating the law and getting around it. I saw this coming 2 years ago. Also, in our area, the same thing is happening and some places overtly place ashtrays on every table.

Now I don't want it sound like I am advocating smoking because I am not. Personally I agree with the law, just not how it was implemented. We tightened our smoking policy years before the law went into effect and would have abolished it completely with or without the law. The problem I have is with the way the law was written. It has never had any teeth and to my knowledge it still has not been finished by our legislature. Many of you are familiar with a local case that was thrown out by a judge because apparently the state never made any agency legally in charge of enforcing it. So here we are with another law on the books that you can choose whether or not you are going to obey. I feel it waters down all laws and sends an incorrect message.

I also feel that business owners should have the right to run their businesses the way they feel is best, and that customers should have the right to choose the business they want. As an operator I can tell you that smokers do spend more money. Many times if you have just one person in a group that smokes,  a smoking policy (or lack of enforcing it) determines where the group goes. So an operation that breaks the law has an advantage over one that follows the law, especially in the bar business. I think they need to enforce the law or change it

I don't like to complain about anything unless I can offer a solution. Mine is as follows; Make smoking illegal as it is now. If you want to allow it you should have to declare your place a smoking establishment and apply for a license. Once you declare your business you would then be required to place a specific smoking logo in any advertisement, telephone listing, and web page you are involved in. You would also need to place that logo at your front door.That way potential patrons would  know well in advance of a businesses' status. Fines and punishments would be much easier to enforce and potential employees could choose where they would like to work.