Irish pubs claim smoking ban draining revenues

DUBLIN, Ireland – Dublin pubs are losing customers because of Ireland’s decision to ban smoking from workplaces, the main bar owners’ association said Tuesday.

Business has slipped 12 percent to 15 percent since smoking was banned in pubs on March 29, said Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the Licensed Vintners Association, which represents about 700 pubs in the capital.

“We expected April to be very bad and things to improve. That hasn’t happened and is of great concern to us,” O’Keeffe said. “While the impact is not totally uniform across Dublin pubs, make no mistake about it, the smoking ban is having a serious financial impact.”

But Aiden McManus, spokesman for the Restaurant Association of Ireland, said the anti-smoking crackdown hadn’t deterred any diners. “Business has been the same as last year,” he said.

Ireland was the first nation to outlaw smoking in enclosed workplaces, modeling its move on similar measures enforced in California and New York City as well as more than a dozen other U.S. states and cities. Norway began enforcing similar restrictions Tuesday.

The smoking law has been widely observed in Ireland, partly because of signs warning that offenders risk receiving a maximum $3,600 fine. On Monday, Ireland’s Office of Tobacco Control reported 97 percent compliance within workplaces.