An Irish pub in Hong Kong has taken the quest for authenticity a stage further by introducing a voluntary smoking ban to the premises, making it the territory's first smoke-free boozer, Clifford Coonan in Beijing.
Dublin Jack, a traditional-style pub in Hong Kong's trendy Soho art and entertainment district, has caused quite a storm in the former British colony for its unilateral decision to banish smokers outdoors.
"It's been very good so far. We took the initiative and decided six weeks ago to stop smoking in the pub and it went effective on Sunday. And we're happy to be the only one in Hong Kong," said Mr Noel Smyth, managing director of Dublin Jack.
"We had a long lead time of five weeks to mollycoddle our regulars and make sure the public knew why we were doing it," said Mr Smyth, who is a Dubliner. The publican said it was hard to gauge the effect of the smoke-free policy because August is the worst month of the year for Hong Kong's bars as many expatriates are away on holiday. Hong Kong is one of the business capitals of Asia, and the move was prompted by commercial motives as much as altruistic ones.
"Being an Irish pub we've been looking for a gimmick. This is a promotion, a way of beating the competition. There are 100 licensed premises in the immediate vicinity here, so to a certain extent we've used the changes in Ireland as an excuse. It's a commercial decision, we're hoping to make money with this," he said.
"At the same time, it's nice to do it in a voluntary way as a smoking ban could be introduced here by late next year," he said. "We have lost some customers but we think we've also gained new customers," said Mr Smyth. The decision to ban smoking in Dublin Jack won plaudits from Hong Kong's main English-language newspaper, the South China Morning Post.
"Dublin Jack is pointing the way," cheered an editorial. "It is a bold move - one that we applaud - and it is based on sound commercial principles . . . the international trend is very much towards banning smoking in public places. And the evidence clearly suggests that bars and restaurants continue to thrive in such an environment - indeed all the indications point to it being good for business," said the leader.
The newspaper's gossip section, CitySeen, went along for dinner on the first night of the smoking ban and loved the smoke-free atmosphere. "We had dinner there on the first day of its 'Kick Ash' policy and can verify that the air is very much more healthy - and business was quite good, considering it was a Sunday night," wrote columnist Flora Wu.
Mr Smyth said people could go outside to smoke if they wished. "We provide ashtrays," of course.