Smoking banned in bars in 2 mid-Cape communities

By Jim Smith

HYANNIS, Mass.– Pub owners on Cape Cod were dealt a crushing blow during the last week when the Barnstable and Yarmouth Boards of Health unanimously approved a total ban on smoking in all bars and restaurants. The ban will take effect on the first Monday in April.

The rulings have angered many restaurant and bar owners, some of whom cite statistics showing they may lose up to a third of their bar business once the ban takes effect on April 3.

"These boards of health have no respect for the bar culture, and I have no respect for their garbage science about secondhand smoke," Bobby Byrne told the Echo Monday.

Byrne, owner of three popular Byrne’s Pubs on the Cape, said that anti-smoking lobbyists backed by big money targeted the mid-Cape area in hopes of eventually eliminating smoking in all bars and restaurants across the Cape and beyond.

"There were people writing letters saying they had a right to come into my establishment and breathe fresh air," Byrne said. "I doubt we’ll be seeing many of them in here after April 3."

Byrne, whose ancestors are from County Wicklow, came to the Cape 26 years ago after working in the restaurant business in New York City.

"When I arrived on the Cape, I set out to create an atmosphere that combined the best of a good Jewish deli and an Irish saloon," he said. "Aristotle wrote that music is a pleasurable accessory, and that’s what smoking is for a lot of people in our pubs who want a place to relax and enjoy themselves.

"Pretty soon there’ll be people going around looking to see if there’s too much fat on the menus."

At Molly’s Pub and Restaurant in neighboring Yarmouth, a town with a high concentration of Irish pubs, assistant manager Joe Cunningham said that Monday’s ruling by the Yarmouth Board of Health is not sitting well with patrons and other proprietors along busy Route 28. "There’s a lot of money behind all of this, but no one cares about how it will hurt the businesses around here," he said.

Tom McKean, Barnstable health agent, said that the primary issue is one of public health, not of economics.

But Byrne argues that he and other owners across the Cape have taken significant steps to address the health concerns in recent years by providing better ventilation and setting aside areas for non-smokers.

"There’s only so much we can do to satisfy the people who want clean air," he said. "This is basically an assault on the bar culture."

Byrne said that some of his colleagues on the Cape underestimated the power of the anti-smoking lobby and were taken by surprise by the bans.

"There are a lot of Ph.D’s out there hustling money for grants to clean up the air," he said. "And right now the environmentalists rule."