The end of the counter meal was prognosticated on this day in 2001 as government-imposed restrictions on Tasmanian hospitality venues loomed, designed to encourage the establishment of no smoking areas.
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Jim Bacon's state Labor government had introduced the Public Health (Smoke-free Areas) Amendment Bill, which, at this point, appeared certain to pass the parliament without significant tweaks from members of the upper house.
As a result, "meals more substantial than a snack" were set to be made illegal in Tasmanian bars while people were smoking.
Australian Hotels Association state director Daniel Leesong said "200 years of history" would "disappear" in the wake of the decision, referring to the national tradition of the counter meal.
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According to Newstead Hotel manager Helen Richardson, she would no longer be able to serve meals in the public bar at her venue, which she predicted would lead to a 10 per cent reduction in meal sales per week.
"It's terrible because we do have non-smoking areas and people are quite happy to go out there for meals," she said. "People can then come in to the public bar and smoke, though."
At O'Keefes Hotel, there were patrons who preferred to eat at the bar, rather than in the smoke-free dining areas, licensee Grant Beaumont said.
"When a bunch of guys come in, they just want to have their meal at the bar," he said. "They're the ones it [will] affect."
The government had made a concession to hoteliers by moving to develop guidelines around the types of snack foods that would be deemed acceptable, inviting the industry to collaborate.
Mr Leesong, however, said it was silly to say that only food that didn't require the use of cutlery could be eaten in the presence of smokers.
"We'll be trying to get legitimate snacks included [in the guidelines], like nachos and focaccias, steak sandwiches," he said.
Back in 2001, smoking indoors was illegal in all public places and workplaces, but the bill in question sought to put pressure on licensed premises to implement similar changes themselves.
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Five years later, the Lennon government legislated to ban smoking in such venues.
Fast forward to the present day, and a new push - led by independent Windermere MLC Ivan Dean - is being mounted to raise the legal smoking age in the state to 21.
It's been endorsed by mining magnate Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, who has lobbied the state government to support it.
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Rob Inglis
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
