The New York Post notes that the NY State Restaurant Ass. has flip flopped on their "no smoking" position. Having previously supported mandatory smoking bans in restaurants, now they've changed their tune.

In a recent statement by the New York City chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA), Executive Vice-President Chuck Hunt noted that "the city's bar, tavern and nightlife operations have suffered mightily as a result of the smoking ban."

In a membership survey the group conducted in November and December of 2003, 76 percent of the respondents reported a decline of 25 percent or more in bar sales and 15 percent or more in food sales.

The cries are falling on NYC Mayor Bloomberg's deaf ears. In fact, Bloomberg, who once referred to business owners as a minor economic issue, is preparing to make matters worse. Currently smokers who still enjoy the NYC night life are taking to the streets to light up, which has local residents complaining about late night noise. One final solution being batted around by Heir Bloomberg will be to crack down on establishments that are open after 1 AM.

(What's next, a curfew for smokers? Perhaps we could tattoo them, or make them wear some sort of badge on their clothing.)