How the restaurant industry winced when butts were kicked

The restaurant business has had its share of pitched political battles, but few were as intense as the industry’s futile effort to fend off smoking bans. The issue divided the trade and put many operators on the wrong side of a movement that was not to be stopped.

It may be difficult to imagine some 20 years later that the matter of lighting up—what the industry posed as a customer right—would be so controversial. Outrage triggered a wave of civil disobedience on the part of the business, which demonstrated remarkable creativity in getting around the laws.

In this week’s edition of Restaurant Rewind, we examine that fractious period and how health considerations ultimately prevailed, dragging the business into a smoke-free era that proved a surprising boon to business for some.

Hit Play to relive that combative time.