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Vincent/Roger wrote:
"Let Naomi say otherwise,
but the reason they allow smoking is that they and their staff want the
money..."
Running a business like the White Dog is not entirely about the
money any more than Abbraccio is entirely about the money.
All businesses are somewhat about money. The White Dog wanted
to keep loyal customers and loyal employees happy, so besides the money, there
is the idea that a community institution is doing its best to serve the
community and the community's wishes.
I'm really surprised you'd write something like that about a fellow
mission-based business. The money issue is a no-brainer, but there's more
to both your restaurants than that.
Hillier ARCHITECTURE One South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3502 | T 215 636-9999 | F 215 636-9989 | hillier.com From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vincent/Roger Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:02 AM To: University City List; Pfsni Subject: [UC] No Smoking Bill: Abbraccio, White Dog Naomi at The White Dog is a great friend, and I wish I could come up with the type of material that promots Abbraccio as well as she promotes her place, no matter what the subject is at hand. But I think that the White Dog is being disingenuous over this issue. If you really support the ban why wait for the city to tell you okay? The point that Vincent was trying to make, which I think everyone, Naomi included, missed is that every establishment should have the right to determine their own policy and not be dictated to by law.
The subject on the table is the bill to ban smoking at
all bars and restaurants in Philadelphia, indoors and out. And if you wade through all of the other
discourse, the main point, for Naomi and The White Dog is economic
well-being: can we make it
pay? Let Naomi say otherwise, but
the reason they allow smoking is that they and their staff want the money, and
they're worried that customers would go down the street to other bars! (To quote: “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.”) Just like at
The White Dog, there are bars near Abbraccio (including Gojjo and Dahlak) that
allow smoking; in our case we elected to be non-smoking over the objections of
our staff; in their case, they went with the urges of their staff.
We at Abbraccio repeat that: We do NOT allow smoking indoors at Abbraccio (and The White Dog does). We are AGAINST the no-smoking bill (while The White Dog is in favor). We believe that the bill is poorly written, in particular the wording about outdoor dining/drinking areas and that it does not level any playing field but raises a great deal of questions over compliance and enforcement. (Plus we think there are already too many laws.)
I could go on for a long while with stories about how difficult it has been to survive for more than 25 years (more years than The White Dog!), about all things we’ve done for our employees, and about how we are socially conscious. There are some very interesting stories! If we only had a better publicity machine, we could make more people aware of them!
Roger Harman Abbraccio 215 PASTA-47 |
