Original Famous Sam's set to close

The owner of Famous Sam's at 4801 E. 29th St. — the site of the original Sam's Tavern — said he is planning to close the bar June 30 unless he can extract some relief from the chain's corporate parent, Overland Park, Kan.-based TWA Restaurant Group.

The bar's revenue has dropped about 15 to 20 percent as a result of the ban, which began May 1, said Gary Zimbler, who has owned the business and property for about two years.

Since taking over the property, Zimbler has also discovered the building requires at least $80,000 in upgrades to meet city requirements — making the dip in sales more difficult to bear.

"This is the straw that broke the camel's back — the smoking ban," Zimbler said.

Zimbler said he hoped to receive some abatement in his franchise royalties to help him reduce his costs. He said the code violations were the result of previous owners who did not keep up the building.

"I'm dealing with a franchise that's less supportive than I hoped it would be," he said.

Before the ban went into effect, TWA Restaurant Group was encouraging Famous Sam's owners to focus more on their food businesses, and try to lure more non-smoking patrons and families.

Zimbler and owners of other Famous Sam's locations in Tucson said they are noticing upticks in sales from lunch customers, but not enough to make up for losses in their core happy-hour crowd.

The bar has long catered to workers who were often looking to unwind after work with alcohol and cigarettes. Many of those regulars are now either spending less time in the bar and ordering fewer drinks, or are going straight home, Zimbler said.

"We can't afford to just serve food," he said. He added that he plans to either sell the building or open a new business there.

Gary Naughan, director of franchise operations for TWA Restaurant Group, said the company will try to work with Zimbler to to keep the restaurant open.

There are 27 Famous Sam's locations, including 11 in Tucson, according to the company's Web site.