1997 Glantz Restaurant & Bar Study

The effect of ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants and bars on revenues: A follow up

Glantz S, Smith L.
American Journal of Public Health 1997;87(10):1687-1693

This study, a follow-up to the landmark 1994 Glantz study examined fifteen cities with smokefree restaurant laws and fifteen control communities without smokefree laws, as well as five cities and two counties with smokefree bar laws and similar control cities and counties without such laws. Not only did this study confirm that smokefree restaurant laws do not adversely affect revenue, it showed that smokefree bar laws do not adversely affect revenue either. The study relied on data for bars with full liquor licenses, but did not separately analyze the effects on freestanding bars and attached bars.

As in the 1994 study, this analysis was based on sales tax data reported to the California Board of Equalization and the Colorado State Department of Revenue. However, this one was based on five ratios:

• Restaurant sales as a fraction of total retail sales.
• Restaurant sales in cities with smokefree restaurant ordinances versus sales in a comparison city with no such ordinance.
• Bar sales as a fraction of total retail sales.
• Bar sales in cities/counties with smokefree bar ordinances versus sales in a comparison city/county with no such ordinance.
• Bar sales as a fraction of all sales by eating and drinking establishments.