Area restaurateur is choking on smoking ban
Published on October 21st, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham's smoky past got a little clearer for some on September 1 when the smoking ban went into effect. This ban, handed down by the Board of Health, made smoking illegal in all public restaurants and bars.
At least one business owner, however, has had trouble dealing with the ban and claims that business has taken a nosedive in the month of September.
Bob McAree, owner of J.J. Grimsby & Co. on Lynn Fells Parkway, says the smoking ban is the cause of his restaurant's recent loss of business.
"It's made quite an impact," McAree said. "It's been considerable. It's taken a toll on our after dinner lounge business."
He explained that his business is a part of Stoneham only on assessor's maps. The business straddles the Melrose/Stoneham town line and also lies in close proximity to Malden.
A majority of his patrons come from Melrose and Malden, he said, with only a small portion hailing from Stoneham.
McAree, who attended the Board of Health's public hearing on the smoking ban a few months ago, said that board members went into the meeting knowing what the outcome would be.
"That vote was predetermined," he stated. "I think any issue in a public hearing should have a decision which is made not just to please the public."
McAree said that he plans on attending the board's October 27 meeting and will explain the difficulties his business is having recently. He also said that he would request a variance to the bylaw to allow smoking in a portion of the restaurant.
One possible solution could be a determination which mandates a separate room for smokers and non-smokers, similar to the one which was recently passed in Boston. McAree said that his restaurant could easily comply under this regulation.
"I think there's a mid-ground here that we can reach without getting into any health issues," he said.
"It's at a point now where you've got to look out for your own affairs. We have a steady customer base here that are willing to go outside (to smoke), but will they go when it's 20 degrees out? I don't know."
On the other side of the spectrum is Jeff Pagliccia, owner of the Grateful Bread on Main Street.
Pagliccia stated that the ban has had little effect, if any, on his restaurant which serves both breakfast and lunch.
"I don't think it's affected me at all," he said. "I don't feel I've been hurt by it."
Pagliccia explained that his restaurant went to a no smoking format on weekends about a year and a half ago because, he felt, it was good for business.
"When I first got here, I saw families with two or three kids walk in here, see the smoke and walk out," he said. "It's a small place with poor ventilation, so it kind of makes sense for a place like this."
The owner did concede, however, that he believes the ban may have been too strict on restaurants such as J.J.Grimsby's which has a large lounge area and enough space for smoking and non-smoking sections.
But, with towns such as Wakefield and Reading having already passed smoking bans, and with the Melrose Board of Health scheduled to consider the matter in the near future, Pagliccia says the playing field for restaurants is fairly even now.
"If every single town around here is like that (non-smoking)," he said, "I don't see the big deal. How far are you really going to go for a butt?"
McAree said he doesn't want to find out.
"Business is down about 50 percent in the lounge during the week nights. We've got some worried people up here," he said of himself and his wait staff.
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