To the editor:
I read a few days ago that Lawrence has 113 bars and restaurants. With that many eating and drinking establishments, is anyone really surprised that every now and then one of them closes?
Over the years, many establishments have come and gone. Two high-end restaurants downtown left after a short period. That was before the smoking ban.
I wonder what would happen if, all of the sudden, Lawrence had 113 shoe stores? Would all of them make it? And, we all need shoes! My guess is that competition would take over.
I also read where the Hereford House is "hurting" for business. What must the overhead be on a $2 million establishment? Maybe they overbuilt for the Lawrence market. Maybe they hadn't figured in competition. One new steakhouse, for example, charges $17.50 for a 9-ounce filet and the Hereford House charges $27 for an 8-ounce filet. I believe that's 55 percent more for one ounce less meat. Do you suppose that prices, not smoking, might be a factor? After all, they are all nonsmoking now.
I choose to eat in Lawrence now rather than in the Kansas City area because of the smoking ban, not the variety. K.C. still has the variety, but I can taste food, not smoke, in Lawrence.
My guess is that supply, demand, competition (i.e. prices, service and menu variety) are all probably at work here. It's just easier to blame it on the smoking ban.
Phil Everley,
Eudora
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