Another fascist-owned restaurant to avoid

[frisco]

The Barley Pub in Dover - not to be confused with the similarly named Concord establishment. 

From an article in The Wire:
--
But Scott Mason, who owns the Barley Pub in Dover, said it is challenging to find a job with suitable pay, hours, coworkers and atmosphere. An employee should not be forced to quit an otherwise ideal job because of health concerns, he said. ?There?s no reason someone should have to choose an unhealthy environment to make a little bit more money,? Mason said.

he Barley Pub banned smoking in May 2006 and immediately suffered a 30 to 40 percent reduction in business. ?We got clobbered,? Mason said. ?It has balanced out some, but we really have not fully recovered from that. We?re definitely not as busy as we were.?

Mason expected business to decline when he banned smoking in the pub, but he placed a higher priority on the health of his employees. About half of his employees smoked when the ban went into effect, and now only about a quarter of the staff smokes.

A large percentage of the Barley Pub?s former clientele have relocated to smoking establishments like Biddy Mulligan?s and the Dover Brickhouse. But if SB 42 passes as expected, Mason hopes to see some of his former customers return. ?I hope some of them come back, because it?s a good crowd,? he said.
--
Feel free to send him your thoughts!

[earthhaven]

An e-mail has been sent.

Dear Scott Mason,
       I saw the article from the wire about your thoughts on the smoking ban, and while I salute you for banning smoking on your own, I think it is despicable that you support the state mandating a smoking ban. I am a non smoker and prefer going to establishments that are smoke free, but I understand that the decision should be made by each individual business, not by tyranny of the majority. Property rights are very important, and as a business owner I hope you can understand this. Competition can be hard at times, but that is what America is all about. Please compete on your own without using the force of the government.

Toby

[Russell Kanning]

I have trouble being comfortable in the one in Concord .... too many politicians.

[frisco]

Since his position isn't 100% clear, I left room for him to deny the charges.

Scott,

I am a Dover resident who smokes.  I prefer to patronize businesses that cater to my preferences, therefore, I seldom frequent the Barley Pub.   I don't have any problem with the way you choose to run your business.  Because the relationships between you, your employees, and customers is  voluntary, there is nothing immoral about deciding what you will and won't allow in your own business. I believe competition, and the choice that it brings, is a good thing.

Your comments in the current Wire article lead me to believe that you support a government-mandated smoking ban. That would eliminate choice and creates a culture of intolerance.  It is also a very hypocritical position for most people in our area.  Consider the impact of the automobile driver upon the pedestrian or bicyclist.

I hope that I am mistaken about your position.

Regards,

[powerchuter]

Karma for all!

[earthhaven]

An e-mail has been sent.

Dear Scott Mason,
       I saw the article from the wire about your thoughts on the smoking ban, and while I salute you for banning smoking on your own, I think it is despicable that you support the state mandating a smoking ban. I am a non smoker and prefer going to establishments that are smoke free, but I understand that the decision should be made by each individual business, not by tyranny of the majority. Property rights are very important, and as a business owner I hope you can understand this. Competition can be hard at times, but that is what America is all about. Please compete on your own without using the force of the government.

Toby

Toby,
I certainly can agree with you in many cases. But I believe that when a business owner has to choose between the health of his employee's and an extra buck, it's  time for government to get involved. I had one of the smokiest bars in the seacoast and the decision to take that kind of loss by going non-smoking is one that most won't or can't make, to the detriment of the employee's and customers. Even the smokers where worse off in that environment. We are not talking about having a beer that has no effect on the person next to me. We are talking about a product that in any other industry would be considered defective. A product that not only poisons the user but also the non-users near by.

I do appreciate your comments and the fact that we live in a country that thrives on this kind of debate and participation.

Cheers,
Scott

[Russell Kanning]

It is ok to debate .... but in the end the government needs to step in and help us decide.

[error]

Yeah, we're talking one of the smokiest bars in the seacoast because people wanted to smoke! They obviously are stupid and must be thrown in prison!

[Lloyd Danforth]

Anyone in Dover got any bricks?

[Atlas]

LOL

[lildog]

Interesting that the lead was buried in the 4th paragraph in.  Up until that point I was saying yes, more power to this guy.  He choose for himself to ban smoking in the bar he owns.  Now if he's one of those pushing to force the ban everywhere else just to get his business back then I'd be against that but let's assume he isn't.  That alone should be something rewarded, not punished.  For that reason I think it important to know where he stands before calling for the avoidance of his location.

[frisco]

He supports it.  I got the same reply as the one above.

I find it very disheartening that we live in a country where we even speculate on eliminating choice in the marketplace. 

[lildog]

He supports it.  I got the same reply as the one above.

I find it very disheartening that we live in a country where we even speculate on eliminating choice in the marketplace. 

I missed that response.

That is sad.  Heck if he were a smart business man he could have used it to his advantage.  I can see an ad showing two burgers, one nice and fresh the other sitting in an ashtray.  Under the picture it reads "Which would you want to eat at?"  Play up the fact that you have a healthy eating environment while the other guys support dirty filthy smoking.

But instead we see people continually looking to "balance the playing field" by forcing others to follow the rules they want to play by.  Sad!

[SpeedPhreak]

An e-mail has been sent.

Dear Scott Mason,
       I saw the article from the wire about your thoughts on the smoking ban, and while I salute you for banning smoking on your own, I think it is despicable that you support the state mandating a smoking ban. I am a non smoker and prefer going to establishments that are smoke free, but I understand that the decision should be made by each individual business, not by tyranny of the majority. Property rights are very important, and as a business owner I hope you can understand this. Competition can be hard at times, but that is what America is all about. Please compete on your own without using the force of the government.

Toby

Toby,
I certainly can agree with you in many cases. But I believe that when a business owner has to choose between the health of his employee's and an extra buck, it's  time for government to get involved. I had one of the smokiest bars in the seacoast and the decision to take that kind of loss by going non-smoking is one that most won't or can't make, to the detriment of the employee's and customers. Even the smokers where worse off in that environment. We are not talking about having a beer that has no effect on the person next to me. We are talking about a product that in any other industry would be considered defective. A product that not only poisons the user but also the non-users near by.

I do appreciate your comments and the fact that we live in a country that thrives on this kind of debate and participation.

Cheers,
Scott

I agree w/you that smoking is bad for the "innocent" bystanders.  We all know the dangers of 2nd hand smoke... we are informed & educated (to the best of my knowledge) & we can choose which establishments we go to as well.  If a place allows smokers & you don't want to be around it... don't go.  there is no law forcing you to go that place.

I once bartended at a really cool club/lounge.  the busiest place in town for a time.  they didn't allow smoking when every other club in town did (we now have a state wide ban).  we did have outdoor smoking lounges however.  why did smokers & non smokers alike come to our club?  when there was the towns previous number 1 club just a couple blocks away that allowed smoking... because of our environment.

to be honest I liked working in a non smoking club (being mostly a non smoker - i will enjoy a nice cigar occasionally).  the club i worked at before that was probably the best place i have ever worked in my life... but it got really smokey... even with smoke eaters & windows open I could feel it at the end of a busy night... smokers & non smokers still went there.

the non smokers had the choice not too... the same as i had the choice not to work there.  but they did & I did because it was "worth it".

that is what freedom is really about - choice.

[Ron Helwig]

http://www.amlibpub.com/liberty_blog/2007/03/unfounded-scares-about-secondhand-smoke.html

I agree w/you that smoking is bad for the "innocent" bystanders.  We all know the dangers of 2nd hand smoke... we are informed & educated (to the best of my knowledge) & we can choose which establishments we go to as well.