Lex Montiel, who owns and operates the San Francisco Eagle, said he\u2019s worried about the indirect impact the city\u2019s proposed anti-smoking ordinance would have on business, on May 15, 2025. (Desmond Meagley\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLex Montiel, who owns and operates the San Francisco Eagle, said he\u2019s worried about the indirect impact the ordinance would have on business.<\/p>\n
The Eagle is a historic leather bar in SoMa, with a large covered patio \u2014 an important draw for customers, many of whom enjoy cigars and cigarettes in the space, Montiel said.<\/p>\n
Since COVID, the bar\u2019s economic position has been tenuous, he said, and his clientele relies on the covered patio to provide them a space to dress freely and socialize with others in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf [a customer] is smoking and we have to push them out to the street on a jockstrap, we definitely would lose that customer,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will not be able to offer a safe space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montiel said the city is \u201coverreaching\u201d with the ban. While the health of his clientele and his employees is important to him, he said, he doubts that his employees are exposed to dangerous levels of secondhand smoke while at work. Montiel said that he hasn\u2019t received complaints, and he is \u201cvery, very strict\u201d about preventing smoking and vaping inside the bar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260515_172446739-scaled-e1778890672540.jpg\")