another thing that hurt bars is they can be sued for serving an impaired customer as can a host of say a football party and letting someone drive...and the penalties for a DUI have increased greatly in some states...
To follow up on Geo's numbers on maintenance, rough calculation I've spent including oil changes...$6,000 and NO tires this year...on 104,000 miles...
Year end mileage...579,000
To supply any service there is a cost...whether it is dumping, water or that extra towel...gone are the days of freebees...any idea how many squeeges they go thru...100's a year...as soon as they put new ones out they lose about 50% of them within hours....so they say....
I know it is in Ontario...
In Regina..this one bar got real inventive...in the patio, hockey type glass room with NO ceiling with huge heaters around the top...was pretty neat having a puff in the winter time...the bar owner was in compliance with the law...
Once an owner applies for a liquor license then certain rules must be followed...IF one of the rules are No Smoking then the the owner must comply or lose it...they don't have much choice really...