Business & Tech
Smoking Ban Doesn't Slow Local Restaurant Business
Five years after legislation banned smoking in Illinois bars and restaurants, some La Grange restaurateurs say business is better than ever.
Some locals feared that a 2008 statewide smoking ban would curb business at restaurants and bars.
But on the five-year anniversary of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, the La Grange Doings reports that most Illinois residents—local restaurateurs included—support the ban.
“If anything, it’s better for business,” Phil Palmer, co-owner of Palmer Place, told The Doings. “Smoking areas were areas where most people didn’t want to sit, and now you can use all your areas for every type of seating. People just like a nonsmoking environment for dining.”
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More than two-thirds of Illinois residents agree that the ban has been a positive move, according to an American Lung Association survey of 601 people.
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