In Haverhill, the bar banter has moved outside. Three months ago, the city banned smoking in most restaurants. The ashtrays may be gone, but so are the customers.

“I would say we lost 30 to 40 percent of our business right off top since March 1, and it happened that day,” restaurant owner Mike Difeo said.

It was a similar story at Benny’s farther north on Route 125.

“It’s a struggle. I’ve lost $49,000 as of today, and I can see I lost my main base of customers because of non-smoking. I am losing help. My people are not making money. I went from 58 employees to 44 employees,” restaurant owner Ben Brienza said.

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