New Dallas ordinance set to take effect Friday
Jump to full article: Dallas Voice, 2009-04-10
Author: John Wright News Editor
Intro: Brown said. “I really attribute that to getting used to the nonsmoking environment in L.A. when I was there. It was sort of a rude awakening when I came back, so I think if that’s lifted, it could open up a lot more opportunities for me to go out.”
Representatives from gay and lesbian bars in Dallas say they’re hoping for a boost in business from others like Brown in the wake of the smoking ban.
“I think we’re going to create a whole new clientele of people who haven’t been out to the bars for a long time,” said Michael Doughman, executive director of the Dallas Tavern Guild, an association of about 20 gay and lesbian bars citywide.
“I certainly hope that that’s true,” said Rick Espaillat, a spokesman for Caven Enterprises, which operates four gay and lesbian clubs along the Cedar Springs strip. . . .
Dallas bars and clubs may need an influx of new customers to offset an inevitable slight decline in business from hard-core smokers — like 55-year-old Randy Walker.
Walker, a smoker of 44 years, said he spends $20 five times a week during happy hour at Crews Inn, a gay bar on Fitzhugh Avenue. But Walker said with the smoking ban, he’ll go out only once or twice a week.
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