Smoking Ban End of Plush Cigar Bar Era in Posh London Clubs
It’s the end of an era – in fact, the end of a more than 100-year-old tradition – in posh London clubs where members have been free to smoke Cuban cigars in leather chairs in plush surroundings. Due to new no-smoking legislation, clubs are either going to have to ban so-called cigar bars or find creative ways to allow members to continue to enjoy an upscale after-dinner stogie that can cost as much as 50 British pounds, along with a glass of port.
The problem is, alternatives to traditional cigar bars almost have to be open-air venues, and that’s likely to be a poor substitute for the leather-upholstered luxury inside, due to London’s notoriously damp, chilly, foggy weather, reports Bloomberg.
However, a number of cigar afficionados are keeping a stiff upper lip about the brave new world that awaits them once the smoking ban in bars, restaurants and businesses that cater to smokers takes effect July 1. While “it’s not not going to be quite what it was,” says equity trader Tony Roberts, 36, he isn’t going to give up cigars after the ban.
Ranald Macdonald, the owner of the Boisdale restaurant and cigar bar, is constructing a roof terrace for smokers above his main Belgravia establishment, which sells 110 different kinds of Cuban cigars from a custom-built humidor, the Bloomberg article says. Meanwhile, competitors are putting ashtrays in patio seating areas and even installing so-called cigar parks, where patrons can leave their still-burning deluxe stogies in numbered slots if they need to go inside.
