The Filling Station, the venerable Austin restaurant adorned like a 50s gas station, has closed after almost 30 years in business.
Teddy Obiedo, the restaurant's controller, said the Filling Station has seen declining business over the past four years.
"What finally did us in was the smoking ordinance that went into effect in June. Our sales dipped by 18 percent after that went into effect," he said.
The city began enforcing its newest smoking ordinance in June. Restaurants and bars have to apply for a special permit that restricts the hours of smoking and provide its own specially designated smoking area with a ventilation system.
For restaurants like the Filling Station and neighbor Vinny's Italian Cafe, no permit means no smoking.
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Filling Station closes
The restaurant blames the city's smoking ordinance as one reason it closed.
 
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"That's the happy hour business that we've lost also just like the Filling Station. And we don't know where they went; we just lost them. They didn't call back and say, 'we wish you can have smoking.' Well, we can't. They all know it," Vinny's co-owner Gerald Stone said.
That has customers upset. Even during lunchtime on Friday, patrons didn’t know the restaurant had closed.
"That's bogus. Nobody needs to go out of business because of a smoking ordinance. There's ways around it," customer Dee Harrison said.
Stone said he's lost 10 percent in alcohol sales since the smoking changes. He's frustrated, particularly since the customers weren't making complaints to begin with.
"Things are hard enough in Austin. We would like to do the best that we can to survive," Stone said.
Obiedo said the company is putting the gas station-esque property up for sale. He expects some high bidders for the prime location of real estate.
Almost 40 employees lost their jobs. The Austin location was the last of five that have already closed.
