“I don’t think we can live through this experiment,” he says. “If you look at Brookline, where smokers congregated in the clubs, nightlife doesn’t exist now that a smoking ban has been put into place.”

However Jennifer Anderson, manager of Grafton Street, says she does not think that the ban will hurt business at her establishment.

“There are a lot of people who only smoke when they drink,” she says. “The bulk of smokers would be okay with [the ordinance]—I think a relatively small percentage would be jonesing and need to go outside.”

Some restaurant employees, however, feel that the ordinance will make their jobs more pleasant, and advocates of the ban have received support from workers’ unions. Anderson thinks the ban would represent a positive change in her working environment.

“I’m a non-smoker and would rather be in a nonsmoking environment for health reasons and because of the smell,” Anderson says.

Lee conceded that for some prospective employees, the preponderance of thick smoke could dissuade them from working in a bar.

“It’s possibly true for some people that [having to deal with smoke] is a barrier to entry,” he says, “[but] it’s part of the business.”

—Staff writer Michael A. Mohammed can be reached at mohammed@fas.harvard.edu.