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Bar blames ban for closure

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BY RODD CAYTON / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 02:06:24 pm CDT

Cheerleaders Bar And Grill, 5560 S. 48th St., is closing after Monday, owner Dean Borgmann said. Borgmann blames a city smoking ban enacted last year for the closure.

He said Friday that his business is down 30 percent since the ban went into effect and that various specials and promotions failed to reverse the trend.

Borgmann, who has owned Cheerleaders for nearly five years, made the decision to close Tuesday, he said.

Story Photo
Bar stools sit empty at Cheerleaders on North 48th and Highway 2 in February 2005. (LJS File)

Related Link(s):


5.27.05: Some bars say smoking ban is hurting business
9.19.05: Survey says Lincolnites support ban

He said other factors, such as the economy, may have contributed to the sports bar’s demise, but the smoking ban is a more logical culprit, based on observations of his counterparts outside Lincoln.

"You go to the small towns around," Borgmann said. "Denton, Emerald Waverly, — those places are all packed on the weekend, just doing great business.

“Even with high gas prices people are willing to drive to a smaller town.”

The closing, Borgmann said, will put his mostly part-time work force of 26 out of work.

“They’re all good people,” he said. “Hopefully, they won’t have too much trouble finding another job.”

Employment in the hospitality industry, and tax revenues from that industry, haven’t shown a decline, said Bruce Dart, director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.

Dart said he has been following the industry since the smoking ban was enacted, and hasn’t seen evidence that the ban has had a negative effect on the city.

Reach Rodd Cayton at 473-7107 or rcayton@journalstar.com.


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Jessica wrote on May 26, 2006 1:57 pm:
" I'm sure it has nothing to do with the competition of the other 293 sports bars in Lincoln. "

 Can't blame the ban wrote on May 26, 2006 2:21 pm:
" Someone call the "whaaa"-mbulance. Somebody else is blaming the demise of their business on the smoking ban. There are plenty of bars that responded to the ban by creating inviting smoking areas or maybe remodeling their interiors to a much brighter, friendlier place to go than say the dark, somber, and uninviting atmoshpere that greeted people at Cheerleaders. I'm sorry to see Cheerleaders go, but it was a non-reaction to the ban on Cheerleaders part, not the ban itself. "

 David wrote on May 26, 2006 2:44 pm:
" Bruce Dart needs to just out on the weekends and LOOK. It's every easy to see that business is down. I bet more bars will follow. "

 Lisa wrote on May 26, 2006 3:18 pm:
" I agree - this was Cheerleaders problem. They needed to be more progressive and change to accomodate clientele. "

 Seriously now wrote on May 26, 2006 3:40 pm:
" As a nonsmoker, I can tell you that I enjoy going to bars now that the smoking ban is in place. I appreciate a smoke-free environment and leaving without stinking of smoke. I was at Cheerleaders a few times after the smoking ban began, and still saw many people there. I stopped going when the bands and entertainment became less interesting. The smoking may have been a factor, but why not face reality. If a guy/gal want to go to a bar, they are there to have drinks and socialize.. not necessarily there for the smokes. "

 A wrote on May 26, 2006 3:40 pm:
" Business has gone down. My husband and I drive out of town now so that we can smoke. The owner of our frequent bar says their business has gone up 40%. They are ALWAYS packed. The smoking ban did make a huge difference on the economy. You non-smokers are fools for thinking it didn't. "

 Comm UnSense wrote on May 26, 2006 3:49 pm:
" Seems to me the goody-2-shoes of Lincoln have gone too far by banning smoking in privately owned businesses. What ever happened to letting the market drive the business? If there were enough non-smokers patronizing bars in Lincoln, the bars would have gone non-smoking on their own. If smoking is so offensive to everyone, make it illegal to sell tobacco. See how far that goes, since the tax on tobacco products practically supports this state. Hello Waverly! Take all the business from Lincoln you can get. "

 RD wrote on May 26, 2006 5:24 pm:
" While there may be smoking patrons that have left the Lincoln bar scene, I have Omaha friends that actually make a point to go to Lincoln bars (instead of Omaha) precisely because they can enjoy the experience without taking the cigarette smell home with them. If Cheerleaders has got to close, it was probably headed in that direction already anyway. "

 shari wrote on May 26, 2006 5:51 pm:
" well a few things. 1: yes the smoking ban may have something to do with it. 2: they do not have a very good location (hard to find) 3: what is melissa harrington gonna do now? i know she will want to find somewhere else to have guys google at her loose body parts. "

 Michele wrote on May 26, 2006 5:52 pm:
" I don't care to smell the bad habits of others. I keep my bad habits to myself, others can keep theirs to themselves. Yay! for smoking ban! "

 Mike C. wrote on May 26, 2006 5:55 pm:
" Bar owners should be allowed to decide whether or not they want to allow smoking. Period. Many restaurants changed to non-smoking long before there was even talk of a smoking ban. You know why? Because there was a market for it! That's why it is called a free market system. Anything else is a violation of the business owner's civil rights. You do not have a civil right to patronize a business. If you want a smoke-free bar, open one yourself. By the way, I am a non-smoker. "

 JO wrote on May 26, 2006 6:07 pm:
" There has been a serious decline in buisness in the bars downtown. I think the smoking ban has had a huge affect on bars throughout lincoln. I feel sorry for the buisness owners. "

 Aaron wrote on May 26, 2006 7:49 pm:
" The smoking ban may not have had a negative effect on the city. But it sure did on that owner and his employees. "

 Oh Please wrote on May 26, 2006 9:15 pm:
" The last time I was at the bars downtown it was as big a meat market as ever. There were still ridiculous lines at all those "cool" bars. I found the ones that had the shortest lines also had attached smoking areas (kind of a beer garden type of thing, I guess). So how does that figure into all of this? "

 Patrick wrote on May 26, 2006 10:10 pm:
" I only go to a few downtown establishments, and I have yet to see where the smoking ban has had a major impact on those bars. Two of the three I regularly attend have smoking gardens attached, which has probably helped them a bit, but my guess is it has more to do with these bars being a reliable, yet entertaining place to drink. Almost every live show I have attended has had a decent attendance, maybe they should have offered live music. "

 wait a minute... wrote on May 26, 2006 11:20 pm:
" JO, have you been to the bars downtown recently? They are still just as packed as ever, mostly with college students, as usual. I went to the bars before the ban, and the bars were just as packed, and there would be a handful of people smoking, yet the entire place would be a haze. Downtown bars have not been affected like places like Cheerleaders. The market obviously wasn't changing for the 80% of people in lincoln who did want smoke free bars, so the 80% went and did something about it. True, non-smokers were going to the bars before the ban, but 80% of us like it much better now and go more often. Smokers aren't the only ones who like to drink. "

 G wrote on May 26, 2006 11:27 pm:
" The problem is that the ban makes the people that frequent bars 3-5 times a week go out of town. While the ban is gaining (catering to) people that frequent bars 3-5 times a year. "

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