Tobacco Documents Online

.DISCUSSION DRAFT/February 27, 1997 page 2 "As a restaurateur," he told Nation's Restaurant News, "I'm offended when I see people spending a lot of money to eat out and then they have to go outside to smoke a cigarette." Three cheers for Ken Arestsky and the scores of other restaurant and bar owners across the country who are not only welcoming but celebrating smokers in their establishments! # # #

New "Cigar Bars" Open Across the Country From conservative Orange County, California, to the Kansas prairie-to the hip Flatiron district of Manhattan, cigar bars and cigar-friendly restaurants are spreading across the nation. The trend doesn't stop at the border: several cruise lines now cater to cigar smokers. News reports from coast to coast show that the cigar smoker's image is now more Arnold Schwartzenegger and less Archie Bunker. The change has been good for the industry. The Cigar Association of American reported last fall that it expected 1996 salesLof premium hand-rolled cigars to hit more than 250 million units -,)nearly double 1994 sales. And in -the face of rising demand, prices of the best cigars have risen, too, in some cases doubling or tripling. Some people call the trend a "craze," but others believe good cigars represent a luxury that people are rediscovering and will continue to enjoy for many years to come. Ken Aretsky is one of those believers. The former chief executive of New York's famed "21" Club bought a building in midtown Manhattan and says he spent more than a million dollars transforming it into one of the most luxurious cigar- friendly restaurants in the country. Patroon, on East 46th Street in midtown Manhattan, opened last November with superb food, an extensive wine list, a professional staff, an elegant cigar lounge and a walk-in humidor lined with Spanish cedar. Customers pay $1500 a year to store their stogies on the premises. Obviously, Mr. Aretsky does not see cigars as a "fad." To him, accommodation is simply a part of good service.