Karaoke Forums

You all know I was very worried about the smoking law in Illinois and how it would effect the bar business. It has hurt business for the bar, but not on karaoke nights. The bars day business is really suffering. The day time regulars rather stay home so they can smoke. The true blue karaoke crowd is bigger than ever. Here I worried it would hurt my business when all along it has just made me more valuable.

I think the bar will survive especially since we have a huge beer garden in the back and a porch out front that is smoker friendly. I am seeing area bars struggle to stay alive though.

I thought it would be helpful to others that may have to go through this transition.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Glad to hear but careful, if the other times aren't well enough it may affect karaoke night.  You're lucky there are smoking areas at the moment.  The good thing about karaoke is smoking or not singers want to sing.

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger

Wa State has been nonsmoking for quite some time now. Plenty of little corner bars where people went and sat and drank beer and smoked ciggies are gone. Lots of them got it together and build smoking shelters. Our karaoke biz has not really suffered - people are accustomed to smoking outside. More than anything that is affecting us right now is the price of fuel for people...combined with the cost of food. Diesel: $4.50 gallon! Karaoke is like espresso - no matter how tough things get, people will reward themselves for their difficult day-to-day existence now and will come out and buy a pitcher of beer, same way they'll spend $4/day on some sort of special coffee.

PS: Lots of our karaoke singers don't smoke. Lots have quit since the ban in Wash. Might have something to do with the weather here. We had major snow just a few days ago! That'd be enough incentive for most people to quit, I'd think!

k

It comes to Oregon in January. The coldest, slowest month of the year. Like people are really going to like going out for a smoke in January. I wish they could have waited until next spring just to get everyone used to it in nicer weather.

I think it's going to hurt us in Oregon more because every bar around here depends on on poker and slots for a sizable amount of their revenue. When I look down those lines of machines the players are all chain smokers. Practically 100%. The haze in that part of the room is unbelievable. They aren't going to be at it as long or as often with the new law.

I think my karaoke room will survive but I'm not so sure about my music rooms, all of which would not be in business without gambling revenues, aren't as healthy, and may not survive the hit.

I'm wonderin' if the non-smokers who have been staying at home because of the smoke-filled bars are now coming out to give karaoke a go... could be one reason you're seeing more at your show!

I'm glad your show is going strong without the smoke. There are several places close to you, with karaoke on the same nights, but you draw them in with your excellent persona...great voice, awesome personality, and mind you, all wrapped up in very attractive packaging....you are a star in your own right....but remember, John needs to make money every night and not just on the nights you are there. He goes under, and you will have quite a bit of work to do, to get conditions like you have now. You should be concerned about him making money every night, even to just suggest something that might help. Maybe an open mic night...if you don't want to host it, maybe Phil or your new apprentice can do it. People might want to bring a guitar and sing, tell jokes, or read some origianl poetry, and they often bring friends and family. Certain poker games, food and drink specials bring people in too. Free peanuts night, where people throw the shells on the floor..for some reason people like that sh!t.... ....male dancers...I bet some guys a PSP would even come to that......Babs....be concerned about the other nights....like Timberlea says....

Is this tribal? Tribal casinos are the only places in Wa St that allow smoking indoors.

k

Oregon Lottery has put video poker and slot machines in just about every eating and drinking establishment with an over 21 section in the state. Last time I looked it up they  accounted for close to 20% of the state's revenues.

Wow - probably pretty noisy, huh. That'd drive me around the bend. Glad the tribals are the only location in Washington for those nasty one-armed bandits!

No Karen the machines are turned way down. And they are so important. It's hard to overstate their contribution to the financial health of Oregon restaurants and lounges.

Out of sheer dumb luck my karaoke room is set up better than any bar I've seen around here for the gamblers and singers. The front door is right off the machines. I don't know how they pulled that one off because Oregon Lottery wants those machines partitioned in a separate area.  So they're usually in the back and not convenient for getting up and smoking outside.

My room also has a garden room already with a large window within easy eyesight of the stage. And although the vast majority of the singers smoke they are also mostly young and go out there a lot anyway. So totally unintentionally this room is laid out is perfectly for the new law.

Contrast that with one of the rooms that I play music in. It's a beautiful second story lounge with a view but no way out. They're trying to relocate to the ground floor but if they can't they already know what they will do. Close right after New Year's Eve.

You can't keep a lounge open without the smokers. They're the ones that go out the most, stay the longest, and spend the most money. It's that addictive personality thing.

The smoking ban went into effect in Oct of last year here in Minnesota. My long standing Sat night gig is no longer, the bar closed two months ago for lack of business. We still packed em in for karaoke on Sat nights, but it wasn't enough to keep them afloat.

We're seeing a lot of bars go under here.

Yeah I watched a few take a dive and not come back up out of the water too.  Yes they did blame the smoking, but chances are it just hurried the enevitable.  Most of these bars were real dives to begin with.
The bars that will survive are the ones that are appealing in the first place.  We have one place that is packed NIGHTLY, some to SRO status,  But it's a novelty bar as well based on the Coyote Ugly bar, hot chicks dancing on the bars, dressed provacatively - no it is not a strip club.  But there isn't a night you can get in and find a place to sit most of the time.  Now the little dive bar up the street used to be packed, but has since been a dead little bar.  
I work in a tribal bar where smoking is still allowed, oddly enough we did NOT gain alot of business after the smoking ban came into effect.  We actually lost some as well - maybe because no one knew that they could still smoke there.    It's been in effect since Dec 04 or 05 if I recall, we are starting to pick business back up in the karaoke side, completely new crowd from what used to come in, but then again, crowds usually cycle out about every 2 years as well.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

How fortunate for you. We have a HUGE tribal casino close to us - they have basically FREE concerts with great famous bands...but the smoke is just nauseating, and the noise from the machines (there must be 1000 of them) is very distracting.

Interestingly I thought the smoking ban would drive everyone straight into the tribals, but people here have learned to cope with going outside to smoke - kind of a social thing maybe?  Doing a show, though, it is difficult to tell if people are actually leaving or just going out to smoke...then the hunt for the singer who has forgotten that you told them on the way out they were next...

So nice for hosts, though - has to be healthier. When I think about the second-hand smoke I inhaled all those years...scary....

k

Mount a little outdoor speaker in the smoking area & activate when you call singers!

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I didn't mean it to sound like I wasn't concerned for the bar over all. If there are less people when I am not there, there isn't much I can do about it. The bar owner is going to run things the way he always does. You can't even make suggestions. He's not much for listening to advice - if you know what I mean.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Once it happens all across the country it will level out.....I can't wait.

Babs, I was wondering. Although your crowds have been good, maybe better, have revenues held up? I have connections to Eastern Washington, and a couple of places took a 25% hit even though they still had customers because the smoking customers weren't coming in as often. The non-smokers who replaced them didn't spend as much or stay as late.

Personally I know that there will be advantages when the new law goes into effect. I quit years ago when it started to affect my singing and may have an advantage over smoking KJs because I can stay at my station without taking smoke breaks. Plus it's getting old having to leave my work clothes out on the deck when I get home so they will air out and not stink up the house.

But still I'd prefer it to stay the same where you can smoke in bars. I'm only in it a few hours a week. And I know it's going to affect revenues at least some.

I can not say for certain if the bar is losing money because of the smoking law. His day crowd is less, but he never really had many people in the bar during day anyway. I can't imagine that will hurt him for very much longer because he has an outside beer garden.  He is remodeling it, so it is closed for the time being.  It is topnoch. It has a full bar, fire place and standing heaters. If his regular day timers want to smoke they can sit out there. It is the winter months that will hurt the bar.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

It's a filty discusting habit that we can all do without.   It contributes to air pollution (which we all are forced to breath) and causes increase health care costs that we all have to pay.    

I don't force you to smoke hash or pot or snort cocaine or shoot heroin.  Why should i be forced to indulge your bad habit?   Because we both want to go out and have a good time in the same "public" place.    Do all of your bad habits where only you will be effected by it.   I have enough bad habits and i don't need or want yours.

you know i was going to say as a joke to just take out all the smokers and shootum, but after reading sidewinders comment i think we should just take him outside....

being an ex smoker i know where the smokers r coming from...boy that sounds wierd saying ex smoker, anywho....sidewinder is there anything that you do that affects others in any way, let's just say hmmm driving over the speed limit? i mean even going 1 mile over the limit is breaking the law and putting others in grave danger, and to think omgggg if u went 2 r more miles over the limit what would happen....people like you just tork me....

if it's smoking and non smoking in a building then just suck it up r leave....smokers do have rights just like you do....deal with it....ur worried about cig. smoke when u can't even see thru the smog....yea that makes sense....go yell at the people creating the smog as you're speeding along putting everyones life at risk.....

have u took the time to look up the effects of you going 1 mile over the speed limit? r 2 r 3 r 4 miles over?  how much do the odds increase with every mile u over  the speed limit?  check it out...

ok i'm done , i need a cig....where did i put that bullet?