Wisconsin Initiative on Smoking and Health

An association promoting clean air in public places

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  Chaney Systems, Inc., New Berlin, WI

 

Webmaster

Visit the WISH Online Dining Guide at
www.SmokeFreeDining.net

WISH started in the early 1990's when Wisconsin had just 67 smoke free restaurants. As we interviewed these restaurant operators, we learned that they had two things in common: (1) none of them lost business as a result, and (2) none would return to allowing smoking in their restaurant. As we carried that message to other restaurant owners, they started coming on board and today, with the help of the local coalitions across the state, Wisconsin has approximately 2500 smoke free restaurants, all prospering in spite of the doomsday predictions by the tobacco industry.

The successes result from several factors:

Smokers do not quit eating in their favorite restaurant when it goes smoke free, they just quit smoking in it,

25% of smokers prefer smoke free dining, and most others accept it,

Smokers go to restaurants because they favor the food, not because they are allowed to smoke,

For every smoker a restaurant might lose, they stand to gain two nonsmokers,

When going smoke free they regained nonsmoking customers they had lost in the past, and attracted new customers who simply did not eat out because of tobacco smoke.

You simply cannot argue with this success.

But we do have our detractors. The Wisconsin Restaurant Association has fought us every inch of the way when we move toward passing smoke free restaurant ordinances. Of course,  tobacco-giant Philip Morris loves them for that, and contributes thousands of dollars per year to the association.

According to a survey by International Communications Research, 69% prefer nonsmoking dining areas, and among recent travelers to Europe, the preference for smoke-free dining jumped to 82.6 percent.

Restaurant operator information

 

Wisconsin Initiative on Smoking and Health, Inc.
P.O. Box 27674
Milwaukee, WI 53227
Phone: 414-541-9474     (541-WISH)

 

This site is dedicated to H. Wilbert "Wil" Quick, without whose help and inspiration WISH would not have grown to what it is today.