I knew that the ban on smoking in restaurants would suck. It would be a pain. I go to dinner very regularly with friends, smoking friends, and it means they either go outside regularly to smoke, or, we sit outside. In a couple of months, that will be even more of a probelm when it’s freezing cold. I propose an amendment to the ban so that restaurants that have a strong bar clientele or a performance area, can become non-smoking and 21 and up after a certain time at night. That way, they keep their business on both sides.

But there are crazy effects to this ban I never saw coming. When we went to dinner the other night, on a weekend night, there was but one person at the bar, and looking around at the tables circling the bar, you would have thought it was a day care! Lots of very small children. It seems that either, the smoking ban has meant the baby laden are going out to dinner now, or, they are not being shunted off to the non-smoking section. It’s just horrible. I now propose a “Kids Section” and a “Non-Kids Section” to make up for it.

This might be good for business. More people eating out. But, if you ever waited tables, you know that a table with kids is a nightmare to serve and they make a huge mess and they usually tip like crap. But will they drink? Will the drinkers want to hang out and unwind? That hurts the profit margin a lot, even if it helps get more people in.

For me, it makes me want to get drunk and rowdy and talk about anal sex really loud so the table of kids next to me is not brought back.