Every business can choose to run it how they choose, and customers always have a choice about when to patronize. But it is a bummer when there’s an aspect of the business that puts you off when everything else is great.
Such is the case of the indoor smoking policy at Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas.
We visited on our last trip but would have loved to stay longer or visit more often, but the smoky smell inside is a total turn-off. We visited at 11:00 am with only two other patrons inside and the place still smelled of cigarettes. We do appreciate the years of smoke this building has absorbed and understand that Frankie’s replaces the carpet every couple years, but the smell isn’t ever going away if smoking is still allowed.
The past decades have seen a transformation of smoking policies at restaurants, bars, and airplanes. The practice of allowing smoking indoors continues at most casinos in Las Vegas, likely as way to keep gamblers at the tables. Many people like to let loose and party in Vegas and that can include smoking if it is your thing when you party or simply as your habit.
But it is 2023 now, and outside of Vegas smoking indoors is very rare. The number of people in America who smoke cigarettes is now around 20%, down 10% just in the last twenty years. Why does any business appealing to a broad customer base cater to this 20%? In a casino, having a customer walk outside for a smoke takes them very far away from the tables and into an environment where there are numerous distractions. Unlike a casino, there’s no losing customers if they went outside Frankie’s for a smoke – it’s a parking lot with zero distractions.
We do have it on good authority that Frankie’s no longer allows cigars, pipes, or vapes. That’s a good step, but in this customer’s opinion Frankie’s needs to take the final one and prohibit smoking of all types.
One only needs to look at Vegas’ other tiki bars. There’s no smoking allowed at The Golden Tiki or even the dive-bar leaning Red Dwarf. If those venues can attract customers and let a few customers out back for a smoke, I don’t see any reason why Frankie’s can’t also do this.
Ashtrays do make nice coasters though.
