I happened to catch a segment on Fox Charlotte on Wednesday night about a smoke-free bar that opened a few months ago in Matthews.
The thing is, both Fox and one of the managers at John's Place were treating the fact that it's smoke-free as though it were breaking news.
Larry the manager said, "I don't know of any other bar in the city" that's doing it.
Newsflash, Larry (and Fox Charlotte): It's not the first.
A quick search found nearby Bonefish Grill and Mario's Bar as smoke-free facilities in that city (Matthews Ale House is also listed, but a reader informs me it's a misprint. Any other members out there who can verify?).
And John's Place is far from the first in Mecklenburg County.
There are a lot of smoke-free nightlife establishments in our region -- Thirsty Beaver, Loft 1523, Press Wine/Food and Rustic Martini to name a few. I hope the number continues to grow.
To see if your favorite watering hole is smoke-free, click here.
32 comments:
As a member I can tell you that Matthews Ale House is not non-smoking. You really should check out a spot and not depend on what's on the web. Perhaps YOU should get a clue. EVERYTHING YOU READ ONLINE IS NOT TRUE.
I'm a smoker who goes out of my way to patronize restaurants who allow smoking, in the bar and/or patio. I have no urgent desire to smoke at my dinner table but if restaurants/bars make me stand in the rain, I'm not going to be there. I have lots of disposable income that the chains seem "to get" but the local restos don't.
Quit doing your blog when your drinkin'....
BTW- I smoke, but never indoors in clubs or pubs (Amos' doesn't count). My habit is mine, not of those sitting nearby. If you want to smoke, take it outside.
When they ban smoking outdoors is when we'll have a problem.
The world consists of smokers and non-smokers. So an establishment should have a smoking and a non-smoking section. Then everyone would be happy.
No wait....the non-smokers will still gripe since they want it 100% THEIR WAY. I don't see smokers insisting that every place allow smoking everywhere. So why do non-smokers think they have a right for only their way to matter.
And don't say it's because of second-hand smoke because with a well designed smoking section you can choose to go nowhere near any smoke at all.
Fact is many non-smokers are simply intolerant of any viewpoint but their own, and like a rotten child will not be happy until they get their way. Screw what anyone else wants, it's their world to run.
wish more places would go smoke free....
don't be dissin' WCCB TV
I can't stand nor do I do business at a restaurants or bars that permits smoking. In many other forward thinking cities & places across the U.S. they have indoor smoking bans and when I visit them I really get to enjoy going out. I have asthma and second hand smoke, is not something that's just a nuisance, it really can make me sick. It's time Charlotte became a city of the 21st century and bans indoor smoking as have dozens & dozens of large cities across the U.S.
Let business owners decide smoking or not. I don't know of any restaurant or bar that forces people to enter or work there. (I don't smoke.) If smoking is allowed then I decide not some politician pig or whinney yuppie/yuppett.
HAHAHA. I hate Fox news! It is the worst news I have ever seen. All of Charlotte's news is terrible. I didn't know you needed a degree in drama to be a news anchor around here!
i smoke like a freight train and i dont frequent businesses that dont let me . i hope the lot of them go bankrupt.
I have seen People down here smoking while they are eating at the same time; They are so hooked cigarettes are more addicting than heroin; I will say that RJR , Phillip Morris and all the other leagl drug pushers did a great job giving People high paid jobs in VA. and N.C. But I stand firm against smoking in a building all together its dangerous. I have Chronis Asthma and used to smoke great cigars and now I pay the price. Smoke all you want outside but dont choke me out in my eating house.
The people who comment on this board are extremely rough. It's a blog, not an entry into a writing contest. She flat out said "Can anyone verify if Matthews Ale House is a non-smoking establishment?" She also didn't ask whether or not you agreed with smoking versus non-smoking establishments. She is simply listing those that are non-smoking.
All Charlotte local news is inaccurate, especially Fox Charlotte. Dignity in TV journalism never existed in this market.
As for smoking, let the restaurant decide, not the city or county.
Why smoke? It's 2008. Give it up, move on.
I hope they ban smoking in restaurants and bars in Meckelenburg Co. If you want to smoke and kill yourself and ruin YOUR lings do it somewhere other than inside a building that doesn't have sufficient ventalation. And to those that say it won't happen in NC because we are tobacco country, that my friend is actually more incentive for tobacco companies to want smoking banned in public places in NC. It would be viewed as,"hey look what we did in NC, trying to save people from smoking in a state that produces a lot of tobacco." New York can do it, with Philip Morris HQ'ed there, so can NC and Charlotte. If you smokers would try to quit for 30 days, your sense of smell and taste would come back and you would understand what we non smokers complain about with how awful you STINK. Your fingers would start to turn back to the original pigment and your teeth , breath, mouth, lungs would all thank you. Your upper lip that shrivels up from smoking will thank you as well as your skin. It's a habit that can and should be broken.
To the people who say the business owner should decide, not the government, I ask you this: Are you allowed to smoke at work (provided you don't work in a bar/restaurant)? How come you don't have a problem with not being able to smoke at work? The anti-smoking laws are in place to protect the WORKERS, not the patrons. Why do we subject workers in bars/restaurants to 2nd hand smoke when our work place is free of it?
Fox Charlotte does have one good thing going for it...Morgan Fogarty.
There is absolutely no reason to take away a restaurant's right to decide whether to permit smoking. If you do not want to patronize a smoking-friendly bar or eatery, that's fine fine -- a non-smoking place will gladly take their business away from them. That is how an economy works.
It's not as though a smoke-free McDonald's is a healthy place to eat. If you're going to a smoke-free joint and eating the Grease Burger with four beers, you are killing yourself in a whole different way (and endangering anyone unlucky enough to be driving next to you). So before we go around passing draconian laws forcing the patrons at the corner bar to stand in a rainstorm if they want to smoke, we need to consider the big picture and whether that's really the best solution. Just because other cities do it doesn't make it right.
most of the big cities in the US have gotten with the program, and all restaurants/bars/clubs are smoke-free. DC, Chicago, LA, etc... you can now go out and not smell like a chimney. Also, this is doing a favor to those who do smoke by making it easier for them to quit. If they aren't around it, they're less likely to want it. Charlotte needs to get on board with a smoking ban, but it probably won't happen since it is tobacco country after all.
"most of the big cities in the US have gotten with the program, and all restaurants/bars/clubs are smoke-free. DC, Chicago, LA, etc"
Yes, and most of those same "big" cities also passed unconstitutional laws banning handguns. Restraint of trade and outlawing freedom of choice might also end up before the Supreme Court one day.
I agree with GNEP. Let the bar and restaurant owners decide if they are going to allow smoking or not. The Govnt has enough to do that they are not.
There are plenty of non smoking restaurants in Charlotte. Its mostly high end ones but there are plenty.
I am an ex smoker of 16 years and I still dont want some one telling me where I can or cant smoke. If I wanted to!
Easy enough to find non-smoking place in Mecklenburg County: http://mecklenburg.digitalhealthdepartment.com/qsearch.cfm?smokefree#2
I laugh when people try to compare smoking with drinking, since both are bad for you. Drinking is self-contained. You can sit next to a drinker and it's not going to harm your health. If you sit next to a smoker it's going to harm your health.
For Claire Voyance - no one forces anyone else to work in a bar or restaurant. We can all choose where we work and if you choose to work at a place that allows smoking then don't gripe about second hand smoke. That's like choosing to work at a day care and then complaining about loud kids.
For 10:23 and the others who want to tell smokers how to live their lives - who made you the judge of everyone's behavior? If you don't like the smell of smoke from someone sitting next to you then move. That's what I do when someone sitting by me smells awful from some nasty perfume. But by your logic what I should be able to do is tell them to go outside and never wear it again because I don't like the smell.
Smoking may be a habit that can and should be broken but you're not the mom of the world so you don't get to decide who does what and when.
"New York can do it, with Philip Morris HQ'ed there, so can NC and Charlotte"
Actually Philip Morris is HQ'ed in Richmond Virginia. They moved most of their NY staff to Richmond soon after NY went smoke-free.
I'm originally from NY, and a social smoker. I actually prefer going to non-smoking places in Charlotte - the weather is such here that it's not a big deal to step outside. It sucked in NY in the winter, but the plus side is that you don't come home smelling like you spent the night sitting in an ashtray. just my 2 cents!
To the 2:42 poster who stated "If you don't like the smell of smoke from someone sitting next to you then move" um, that doesn't work. Smoke doesn't just stink up one area where the smoker is sitting, it stinks up the whole place. You can't get away from it. Half the time you can still smell smoke from the non-smoking sections.
This was not about whether or not there are smoking/non-smoking places in Charlotte. It was about Fox pretending to be a news station and recycling and inventing stories to fill their sad little excuses for news programming.
What should we all ban next? I vote for bacon cheeseburgers, boxed wine, perfume junkies and fat people. If we're going to be nanny-state nazis, let's go all the way.
These uptight judgemental emotional train wrecks freak me out. I need a smoke.
You should get a clue.
Regardless of your view on smoking in public venues, it IS breaking news when there are new smoke-free venues in Charlotte!!!
While there currently may exist small handful of smoke-free establishments, there should be considerable press when there is a new one; and as a paid blogger, you should understand how important that news is to Charlotte- Kudos to FOX for doing a story on it.
Also, your article totally contradicts itself, as usual.
Some words of wisdom Paid to Party Girl:
- Learn how to form your own opinion, then stick with it.
- Check your facts.
You Lose.
What about this blog pretending to be hip and relevant. Should this be banned too?
Wow, see a trend with the smokers ? Rude, me, me, me idiots. The only enjoyment is knowing that they will eventually die a painful horrific death.
Keep puffin'
Newsflash: We're all gonna die sometime. So I'm enjoying my fatty foods and nice smokes while I can.
You can keep your wheat germ, tofu and sterile lifestyle. I'll be out having fun.
^
You ever watch someone die of lung cancer ?
Didn't think so, otherwise you wouldn't be smoking or putting others at risk. It's a horrible, agonizing death.
What it really comes down to is that most smokers want to quit. The ones that can't are just weak individuals.
Enjoy it while you can. Even NC will eventually be totally smoke free. It's just a matter of time. Soon enough all of the Mayberry hicks in Raleigh will have died off. Likely of lung cancer.
The last vote on the ban was very, very close to getting it banned.
Puff away...................
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