Jump to full article: Kansas City (MO) Star, 2009-05-04
Author: MARK WIEBE The Kansas City Star
Intro: Exemptions from the smoking ban in Kansas City, Kan., come easy -- fork over an annual $250 fee and let your patrons light up.
The owners of 69 businesses, nearly all restaurants and bars, have bought the right to create smoker-friendly havens since the ban took effect Feb. 24. They'll be able to purchase that right through 2011, when the city's Unified Government will eliminate the paid exemption.
But that option isn't for everyone. Take Bob Breitenstein, owner of Breit's Stein and Deli in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood.
Breitenstein hasn't tried to escape the ban. Not yet, anyway. He didn't create a designated smoking section or opt to allow smoking after 9 p.m., as the city requires for exemption-seeking businesses that also cater to minors.
"I have kids that come in here and eat lunch, and I didn't think taping off a few tables would work," he said. "Tape on the floor isn't going to stop the smoke from going over."
Breitenstein said that his decision wasn't based on principle and that if business began to slide he would probably purchase an exemption.
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