Smoke-free Fry

Denton bar owners filled City Council chambers two years ago to voice their concerns about how a proposed no-smoking ordinance might affect their business. Bars with outdoor patios, some claimed, would get an advantage because their patrons could smoke outside.

With the smoking ban, I know my equipment will last longer, but I dont know if my business will, said Lloyd Banks, owner of Rockin Rodeo, a bar without a patio. Can you guarantee that?

The city conceded to business owners pressure and adopted a smoking ban that exempted private clubs and bars that do not employ or admit persons younger than 18.

But now a community of bars in the Fry Street area has decided to voluntarily follow the citys lead and ban smoking indoors at their establishments, all of which have patios.

A bartender named Porter at Lucky Lous said the owners believed the city would be getting ready to go smoke-free in April, so they were just preparing for the inevitable.

Its better [for the customers], Porter said, and it smells better.

More than 40 cities in Texas have enacted smoking bans that include bars and restaurants, while another 38 cities have smoking bans that exempt bars, including Arlington, Fort Worth and Denton.

Alison Ream, the assistant to the city manager, said the city is not planning to force bars to comply with the smoking ordinance in April yet.

But the council might look at the ordinance and make some adjustments, Ream said.

They could consider [amending] the smoking ban. Theres no timeframe.

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Smoke-free Fry