Since the introduction of smoking bans across many countries, it’s no longer permissible for customers to smoke while in a public indoor place such as a bar or restaurant. For bars particularly, this has been a challenging regulation to adapt to, with some smoking customers opting to stay at home instead of having to stand outside whenever they want a smoke. However, this customer base, though declining in size, can still be catered towards. Continue reading for our handy guide on how your bar can cater to customers who smoke.
Outdoor Areas
While smokers must step outside of your bar in order to light up, that doesn’t mean they have to stand in wet and cold weather or even stop purchasing drinks to do so. Many bars have adapted to the bans on indoor smoking by vastly improving their outdoor spaces, such as beer gardens. Adding shelters to keep customers dry, installing outdoor heating to keep them warm and even setting up mini bars in the beer garden are all tricks that bars have taken full advantage of. Particularly in the warmer summer months, outdoor bar areas with seating and music can attract more customers to your venue, even those who don’t smoke and simply want to enjoy a drink outdoors.
Nicotine Replacement Products
As more people seek to kick their smoking habit completely, and others would rather not have to step outside every time they wish to smoke, offering nicotine replacement products can be an additional revenue stream for your bar. Your business stocking products such as nicotine pouches can allow customers to still receive their nicotine hit while remaining discreet. Increasing in popularity, nicotine pouches don’t leave a nasty smell and come in a variety of flavours. While satisfying nicotine cravings, smoking customers can use nicotine pouches anywhere without restriction, and they also have far fewer chemicals than cigarettes, meaning they’re better for health. With nicotine replacement products surging in popularity due to health awareness campaigns encouraging people to quit smoking, your bar can stock them to increase revenue and contribute towards public health initiatives too.
Keep Everyone Comfortable
While addressing the needs of customers who smoke, it’s essential to not forget about those who don’t. Non-smoking customers will typically prefer to be away from those who are smoking, so they can prevent breathing in second-hand smoke, which can also have an impact on health. In order to keep everyone happy, it’s a wise idea to have any outdoor smoking areas away from the main entrances to your bar. This ensures customers aren’t in the way of the doors while smoking and allows non-smokers to enter and exit the venue without having to walk past a plume of smoke. Many bars opt to have their outdoor smoking areas towards the back of the venue, leaving the front entrance presentable to passers-by and ensuring it’s always clear for those trying to get in or out. Try to keep the door to the smoking area closed, preventing any smoke from being blown inside the bar and causing the venue to smell bad.
