The Effect of a Smoke-Free Ordinance on Eating and Drinking Places in Lincoln, Nebraska

Authors

Mary McGarvey, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Eric Thompson, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Bree Dority, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Jyothsna Sainath, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

10-6-2006

Comments

A Bureau of Business Research Report From the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Prepared for The Nebraska Health and Human Services System, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Tobacco Free Nebraska. Used by permission.

Abstract

The Lincoln Smoking Regulation Act which prohibited smoking in most public places and places of employment in Lincoln, Nebraska including restaurants and bars was implemented in January 2005. This report examines the impact of the ordinance on the following measures of business activity in Lincoln:

• Sales revenue of eating and drinking places

• Employment of eating and drinking places

• Gross revenues from keno.

We examine the impact of the ordinance during the year 2005, the first year that the ordinance was in effect. While restaurant and bar activity in Lincoln rose during 2005 by some measures, we focus on performance relative to Omaha in order to isolate the impact of Lincoln’s ordinance. The estimated first-year impacts of the ordinance were as follows.