No smoke = more customers?

When the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act was passed banning smoking indoors everywhere in Colorado except casinos, some restaurants became worried their smoking customers would go away. But a survey released today says that non-smokers may well may replace those lost customers - and more. A survey by Market Perception, a Denver research firm, found Colorado consumers say they will increase their visits to restaurants and bars once these establishments become smoke-free.

However, only 13 percent of restuarant and bar owners believe their business will increase when the law goes into effect July 1.

A Zagat Survey for New York restaurants showed that nearly a quarter of respondents dined out more often after the state’s smoke-free lawwent into effect in June 2003. In California, restaurant and bar receipts have increased every year since its smoke-free law was enacted in 1997.