Survival of the fittest

Cigar bars and lounges have been under attack for a couple of decades now. In many places indoor smoking has been banned outright, while in others smoking and the consumption of alcohol cannot happen on the same premises. Public health concerns about smoking have rightly been addressed by many of the smoking bans, but unfortunately little effort has been made to carve out space for those folks who work and relax in an environment where tobacco use is expected to take place.

The pandemic has exacerbated this situation in a number of different ways, not the least of which is that so many small businesses just can’t survive without customers. But in places like New York City, where existing cigar clubs and lounges were grandfathered into the smoking ban,