With Big Chicks having gone smokeless as of Jan. 16 and Minibar banning cigarettes since its opening, Windy City Times conducted a survey of other LGBT establishments to see if they plan on kicking ( cigarette ) butts before the July 1, 2008 deadline:
— Berlin: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— Bobby Love's: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— Bucks Saloon: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— The Closet: There will probably be no ban before the deadline.
— Cocktail: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— Eagle: The establishment will ban cigars within the next two weeks and Fridays will be entirely smoke-free. 'We'll ease people into [ being totally smokeless ] ,' said owner Chuck Renslow.
— Firefly: It went smokeless on Jan. 16. Sarah Victor commented that, so far, the business has not lost any customers.
— Gentry on State and Gentry on Halsted: There will be no ban until shortly before the deadline.
— Hydrate: There will be no ban before the deadline because it has cover charges, cited a staff member.
— Inn Exile: There will be no ban before the deadline. 'The ordinance should be county-wide,' said Kelly, the owner. 'After [ the deadline ] , people will be able to just go over to a place like The Edge [ in Blue Island, which is not subject to the ban ] .'
— Jackhammer: According to owner Jim Keup, 'plans are to continue to provide a smoking environment. We will see how things progress with our establishments and with the development of better air filtration systems.'
— Jeffery Pub: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— Man's Country: It will operate much like a hotel, in that smoking will probably be banned from the public area but will be allowed in individual rooms, even after the deadline. [ Note: The private club is not subject to the smoking regulation. ]
— Roscoe's: It plans on going smokeless sometime before the deadline, but will send out a press release after details are decided.
— Scot's: Plans have not been formally discussed.
— Sidetrack: The glass bar has been smoke-free since June of 2004; there are not plans for the remainder of the bar to go smoke-free prior to the ban.
— Spin: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— Spyners: There will be no ban before the deadline.
— Star Gaze: There are plans to go smokeless one half at a time. There will be a meeting to determine when to initiate the program.
— T's: After initially going totally smokeless on Jan. 16, puffing away is now allowed at the bar after some customers revolted. 'It's a difficult decision. With either choice I make, I'm insulting someone,' said owner Colm Treacy.