I am all for personal vices, so long as it doesn't interfere with my peaceful enjoyment, threaten my health, or directly impact my pocketbook.
Pennsylvania (and Rendell who signed the bill), in a remarkable bit of stupidity, now permits a motorcyclist to ride their bike with no helmet. A certain segment of the idiot cycling community long argued that it was a matter of choice and they should be permitted to be stupid and not wear a helmet if they so chose. I agree, so long as they, and only they, are responsible for paying for the medical and rehab care associated with brain injuries that are caused when your head hits the pavement at 35 miles per hour. If cyclists are willing to purchase a separate policy of first party medical insurance to cover themselves in the event of a cycling accident, and to waive any right to have Medicaid pick up the tab for their care, then hats away. But that is not how the system works. We all have to pay for the medical and rehab care associated with the catastrophic injuries caused by accidents involving riders who don't wear helmets. The only saving grace, is, I guess, that they have better chance of killing themselves when they don't wear a helmet which can substantially reduce medical-related costs. You can smoke outside WD just like you do at your own house. Anyway, I know for a fact that you haven't had a drink at the White Dog since LT was really LT. You are showing your age, my friend. Jonathan A. Cass -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 4:28 PM To: Jonathan Cass Cc: 'Naomi'; 'Gail Defendorf'; 'UnivCity@list.purple.com'; 'Dubin, Elisabeth'; 'Brian Siano' Subject: RE: [UC] No Smoking Bill, White Dog & Abbraccio No cigarette with my late night Martini at The White Dog - fugetabootit - I'll see ya at LTs. I'm with Krigman on this one. Restaurant/bar-owners should be allowed to develop their own policies based on their particular clientele. There are plenty of smoke free establishments which is great but to force a place like McGlinchy's (for example) to ban smoking is downright unamerican. I'm pro-choice. -------------- Original message from "Jonathan Cass" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: -------------- Naomi- Part of the analysis that appears to have gone into the WD's decision to permit smoking at the bar after 10:00 p.m. was the assumption that business would suffer -- you would lose all those "big tipping smokers" -- if smoking was prohibited. This is the same argument that has been made by many within your industry in lobbying for the defeat of the smoking-ban bill. My impressions, based solely on listing to WHYY (NPR and their local morning news) and reading the Inky is that there is no real empirical evidence that demonstrates that bars and restaurant have suffered financially in those cities where a ban has been enacted. I think this industry argument is based in large part on anecdotal statements of smokers who claim that they are going to stop drinking in bars if the ban is put into effect. We both know that this is absolute bullshit. Smokers will continue to drink and will continue to drink in bars -- they'll just smoke outside. The advantage of the ban is that cause an increase in the non-smoking clientele (who, because of the smoke, had previously given up, or decreased, their drinking/eating out b/c of the smoke). (As I recall, the restaurant and tavern industry made the same argument about the 10 cent drink tax and they were wrong about that as well). Jonathan A. Cass -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Naomi Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 2:03 PM To: Gail Defendorf; UnivCity@list.purple.com; Dubin, Elisabeth; Brian Siano Subject: Re: [UC] No Smoking Bill, White Dog & Abbraccio Some people will argue that, because we serve meat that we are contributing to obesity and heart disease rates and, therefore do not care about the health of our customers. A vegetarian lifestyle, like a non-smoking lifestyle, is in deed more healthy for the body and for the planet. But there are many people out there who choose to eat meat. Just like there are many folks out there who choose to smoke. Our compromise with the meat was that we would only sell humanely raised meat. Our compromise with smoking is that we have a small area of our restaurant designated smoking for a short period of time. Is this our final decision? Absolutely not. We reserve the right to try other options as circumstances change. (Elisabeth, interesting idea of a non-smoking night or two. I'll bring it up next week.) If enough new and current customers come in late at night and say they want a smoke-free environment, we would gladly change our policy. (And by all means, the next time you are in the Cafe during the 11 hours that we do not allow smoking, and want to leave a note that you would come during our late night hours were it not for the smoking, please do. All management, the owner and many others here read the comment cards. And policies do change based on the feedback we receive from them.) But for now, this is what the customers and employees have said they want. Trust me, I would be thrilled if we go 100% non-smoking. It's really difficult, confusing and space-consuming to advertise when we have smoking and when we are non-smoking. As I do the advertising and promotions, I'd much rather be able to say it all in 2 words instead of a dozen. But I can't ignore the desires of our customers and staff. Our mission is to serve the customers, staff, community and the earth - listed in no particular order. (To read more, visit http://www.whitedog.com/mission.html ) All decisions made at the Cafe takes all of those areas into account. And just for the record, I am not the owner of the Cafe. (But thanks for the thought!) Officially my title is Communications Director but, as anyone in small business knows, you wear whatever hat needs to be worn at the moment. Naomi on 3/18/05 12:20 PM, Gail Defendorf at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have a problem with the logic that the White Dog has to permit smoking because the other establishments nearby allow smoking. And I have a problem with the assumption (not proven) that if the White Dog went completely non-smoking, that they'd lose customers. As a life-long non-smoker, I can tell Naomi that I *don't* frequent establishments that allow smoking. If I know a place is non-smoking, it gets my business. Heck, I really enjoy going to Delaware (the state, not the street) and going into a bar/restaurant and plonking down my cash because I *know* that I'm not going to smell like death afterwards. And the crap about treating your workers better, even though they have to work around second-hand smoke is simply that: crap. If the White Dog was the Progressive Restaurant it thinks it is, it should have banned smoking years ago. gail Jonathan Cass wrote: > Hmm -- I don't mean to be harsh Naomi, but that sounds like a big fat > justification to me: "Hey, we treat our staff better than most other > restaurants so it is okay that we subject them to a known carcinogen." > > The White Dog permitting smoking is akin to a pharmacy selling cigarettes. > > Jonathan A. Cass > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Naomi > Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 10:24 AM > To: Vincent/Roger; UnivCity@list.purple.com > Subject: [UC] No Smoking Bill, White Dog & Abbraccio > > Vincent is right, we are not 100% non-smoking. But Abbraccio and > the White Dog, although we are only 1 mile apart, have very > different surroundings as far as competition and customer base. > > As we are located in the heart of the campus and surrounded by 3 > other bars that all offer smoking all the time at their bars, we > agonized over the decision to go smoke-free for years before we > finally came to a compromise decision a year ago. This decision > came from many discussions with our bar staff, wait staff that > works in the main bar and seasonal patio area, and our customers. > We decided to ban all smoking except for in our main bar from 10pm > - 2am and on the seasonal patio. (We have never allowed smoking in > the restaurant or at our piano bar.) Our late night customers > threatened to go elsewhere if smoking was banned entirely and our > staff (many of whom are non-smokers) were worried that, without > customers, their incomes would be drastically reduced. Our late > night crowd is mostly graduate students, hospital staff and > neighbors - many of whom smoke. With 3 other bars offering smoking > on our block, we felt that we couldn't completely go smoke free > without seriously hurting business - and our staffs' income. The > partial smoke-free decision did hurt financially us, but we felt > that the calculated loss was for the best for our employees' > health and for the well being of our customers. > > Prior to this decision, we extensively looked into ventilation > systems that would draft the smoke out of the room more quickly > but being in a very old building that has already been retrofitted > for kitchen equipment, we didn't have many options. So we use the > hood over the grill station to vent it out and have the incoming > air positioned to bring in fresh air as quickly as possible. We > also, whenever possible, offer additional seating away from the > main bar for those that don't want to be near the second-hand smoke. > > We really wanted to see this bill go through so that all the bars > were on an even playing field - we even sent one of our employees > to testify an the council hearings for this bill. It was really > difficult for us and for our employees to have to choose between > physically healthy and financially healthy decisions. Elizabeth is > right, we do have a choice. We could go completely smoke free on > principal and hurt the financial balance of the restaurant and > hurt our employees financial well-being (which they have told us > they can not afford), or we could compromise and allow smoking in > 1 of our eight dining rooms for 4 hours a day. > > I think making sure the White Dog is here next year and that our > employees can support themselves is worth a small compromise. We > support 100+ employees with a living wage (starting at a min. > $8/hr - instead of minimum wage - $5.??/hr). We offer healthcare > and dental insurance, a retirement plan, an emergency sunshine > fund, free bank checking plan, help with their taxes, an > interest-free computer loan program, reimbursement for smoking > cessation programs (their choice), a workplace giving fund and, of > course discounted and free food (that's sustainable, local and > fresh), drinks and admission to our events - including > international travel with our sister restaurant program. Our staff > is treated better than most restaurants and we always keep their > best interests at heart when making decisions. Keeping the > business financially viable is in the best interest of all 100 > employees, not just the folks working late night who want the big > tipping smokers to sit at our bar. > > Anyone who has been in the restaurant business can understand that > there is a lot more to running a restaurant than just the food. > It's a delicate balance with a small profit margin. This bill > would have helped put everyone on the same playing field and we > will support it when it is reintroduced. > > Naomi > > > on 3/17/05 10:41 PM, Vincent/Roger at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >>> If you have a list of nonsmoking restaurants and bars, pass > it on. >>> Please. I need some places to eat. > > I'm writing in response to the many postings regarding the > non-smoking ban. > As someone who this directly affects, I think I have a right > to speak about > it. Unlike even The White Dog(!), Abbraccio is a totally > non-smoking > restaurant on the interior, altho we do allow and try to > accommodate smokers > on the outside porch (we even operate portable outdoor heaters > in cool > weather.). As a businessman who has invested over a million > dollars in > trying to better the neighborhood I want to be accommodating > to ALL of my > potential customers. > > > > We are non-smoking inside because we made the conscious > decision to be > family-friendly. Yet, I can't afford to alienate all others > individuals. > Do any of you know that Nutter's bill includes a codicle that > there must be > no smoking within 16' of the building (thus no smoking on our > porch either, > if the bill is passed)? > > > > Knowing the importance of all of this I have avidly followed > reports that > California legislation regarding smoking seems to work because > warm weather > and the availability of smoking on outdoor terraces, while in > New York > compliance is only face value. If there can't even be outside > smoking, what > then will be the compliance and what is the cost of trying to > identify > compliance with these issues? > > > > I smoked for way too many years and don't anymore, but I don't > think we > should hatchet people that may need to; where do we look to > alternatives and > allowances? > > > > The restaurant industry is already saddled with a bogus city > drink tax to > supposedly supports the school system (if it really was > collected properly > it would cover 10% of the school costs) and now no-smoking-- > make these > issues state-wide so at least we have a fair advantage over > the restaurants > across the city line which also were cheaper built as a result > of the unions > (but don't get me started on that again!). > > > > Anyway come to Abbraccio: smoke free indoors (except for the > wood burning > fireplace)- at least for now you can smoke on the porch (which > I think > allows options) and help build up my bar business (which > without smoking is > hard to do!) We love this neighborhood and city but sometimes > feel that > restrictions are hard on business, business that the city > should be > promoting! > > > > Vincent Whittacre > > Abbraccio Restaurant > > > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive > information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > > > > White Dog Cafe > 3420 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 > http://www.whitedog.com > (215) 386-9224 x105 > > The Black Cat Gift Shop > 3426 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 > http://www.blackcatshop.com > ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. White Dog Cafe 3420 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 http://www.whitedog.com (215) 386-9224 x105 The Black Cat Gift Shop 3426 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 http://www.blackcatshop.com ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
