Nottingham Bar Staff on the 2007 Smoking Ban

Ben Brettell - Owner of The Maze and Forest Tavern

Smoker?
No, but I love a cigar now and again.

Is the smoking ban a good idea?
Definitely, if only that we clean our club ourselves, and the place stinks at the end of a night. Wet nub ends are a fucker to sort out!

How is the smoking ban going to affect your business?
Not really that sure at the moment but we have a secret plan in place that will help us out on that matter we hope.

Any special plans for after 1 July?
Yes, but that’s our secret plan. Before then though check out our prohibition night on 30 June done by the Audio Massage and I’m Not From London crew to mourn the end of an era.

Anything else you want to say?
To all of you that do smoke I hope it never rains again, so when you are outside puffing away you don’t get wet through like I did in Ireland last year.

The Maze website


Rob Gibson - Patron of Bar Deux

Smoker?
I am a reformed smoker. I was on sixty a day until about thirteen years ago.

Is the smoking ban is a good idea?
Of course, we’re talking about people’s health at the end of the day. But I do have issues with the way the government has singled out tobacco.

How will this affect your business?
I think we’ll see a drop initially, but hopefully not for too long. It’s my mission to keep things interesting and standards high. Also we have quite a large beer garden.

Have you made any special plans for after 1 July?
 Mais oui. But you’ll have to wait and see!

Anything else to say?
From the beginning of July things will be Deux-ferent but our raison d’etre has always been to keep making things better. A Bientot.

Hotel Deux website


Ronnie McDermid - General Manager, Malt Cross

Smoker?
Yes

Is the smoking ban a good idea?
I think that some kind of smoking ban is a good idea. Obviously I’d have liked it if there had been some compromise along the way. I’ll miss sitting around with a pint and a fag in my favourite haunts.

How is the ban going to affect your business?
We’re expecting it to hit us hard. A big problem for us is not having any outside areas.
Any special plans for after 1 July? The Heritage Trust weren’t really up for us making
the roof retractable so you won’t be seeing any big changes. You might notice lots of little
changes though in our food, product offerings, events and service over the summer.

Anything else you want to say?
When I’ve been back to Scotland (where the ban is already in place) it doesn’t really feel like a big deal when you’re in the pub to pop out for a smoke. We smokers will get used to it pretty quickly.

Malt Cross website


Benjamin Rose - Owner of the Alley Cafe

Smoker?
No

Is the smoking ban is a good idea?
Yes. I think it’s a very good idea. It probably should have been brought in a long time ago to be honest.

How will this affect your business?
I don’t think it will really affect us too much. We’re already focusing on our food and the healthy lifestyle, that’s kind of the main ethos of the Alley Café already. So not allowing smoking in here any more can only add to that.

Have you made any special plans for after 1 July?
We’re putting up an awning and giving out nicotine patches.

Anything else to say?
The quality of food is so important to us, so this should make peoples dinning experience even better as a result.

Alley Cafe website