After having just been abused by the motion picture industry’s releasing of Ultraviolet to the public, which is solely carried based upon the name reputation (that’s now highly diluted) of Milla Jovovich, I thought I’d do something nice and take my wife to the Japanese steak house, Kobe.
We frequent there a good occasion, ordering the higher end of the menu, and we tip well.
Not tonight.
We came in, were seated, and before we were even served water, we got up and left within seconds.
Why? A smoker.
While I don’t like second hand smoke, nor how it makes my clothes smell or food taste, and that I am actually allergic and highly sensitive to certain brands, I don’t believe in the need to make every place non-smoking. I do however, believe in common courtesy.
A smoker simply needs to realize that when they light up, they are affecting the area beyond their personal space. Many smokers are so desenitized to it, they can’t even tell. But to a non-smoker, the air doesn’t just smell bad, it tastes bad. Consequently, if there a non-smokers around, the polite thing is not to light up.
It’s the same problem as turning a radio up loud with your favorite bagpipe band blaring. If everyone around you likes bagpipes, no problem. If you’re reaching for the volume while people are trying to have a conversation, there’s a problem.
And in this case, I feel the smoker is actually in the right. There was nobody around, the smoker did light up, and then we were seated. Courtesy is a two-way street. Let him smoke.
It was now us that had invaded the pre-established smokers space, and that means there are only two real acceptable choices: quietly and politely endure it or leave.
So, we left.
And this is where the moral of the store comes in. Kobe can opt to be a smoking or non-smoking place to eat. My choice in that matter is to intelligently vote with my feet and wallet. We thanked the staff, explained that we were bothered by the smoke, it was othing they had done, and opted to have dinner elsewhere.
They clearly understood that one cigarette ended up costing them $75+ in lost revenue, and perhaps more. And, from the look of the guy, it was clear they were not going to make that up off his meal or alcohol ticket.
My hope is Kobe changes its policy. They don’t have to, and I’m not asking they do. If, however they do, we’ll frequent more often, bringing the larger groups with us, which, as I’m given to understand, is the customer base they’re trying to attract in the first place.
UPDATE (4-Mar-06): Went back to Kobe’s tonight with a friend, and this time there was no smokers there, and we had an awesome meal. To our surprise the manager came up to us, apparently one of the waitresses had pointed us out from the night before, and she said she had heard what happened, appologized, that normally they didn’t have smokers there. How this event was an policy exception, I didn’t know… but management got the message loud and clear. Kobe… you get a big thumbs up. Thank you.
UPDATE (18-Mar-2006): Went back again, and the moment we walked in the door we were personally greeted by the hostess who, rather than writing our name down, with a sincere smile put down Non-Smoking under the name as a nickname. While we were eating dinner, someone light up, and moments when I looked back that way, the person was gone. I have to say the meal was fantastic and the place was more packed than I’ve ever seen it. Every table was stuffed and there was a 20 minute wait. Very curious.
Walt, is there still smoking in Virginia? We have no smoking in bars or restaurants in the Boston area and it is wonderful. You can go to a club or a cafe and not smell like an ashtray afterwards. . . it is just a matter of time. I think when the studies are done, the will find a big uptick in revenue after banning smoking!
Johnny, great to hear from you. Yes, Virginia, being a tabacco state, is still a hold out allowing smoking. For the most part, the optimum compromise seems to be smoking in bars. The problem, of course, is when the bars are placed next to where you want to eat, or say when McDonald’s puts the smoking section right where you stand in line to get food.
My understanding is that going totally non-smoking does actually increase revenue. The smoker can still utilize the establishment, but just not light up while inside. Meanwhile, all the groups and families that wouldn’t normally attend due to smoke now also show up. I think the reason for this is that groups tend to go with the least common denominator that appeals to all people involved. It only takes one person in a group to veto going out for seafood; it only takes one person to veto based on smoking conditions. That means one person’s vote in the negative actually affects multiple sources of revenue streams.