The days of being able to smoke in a South Bend bar are numbered. That number is 55.

It was back in late March that the South Bend Common Council passed an expanded smoking ban but specified that the new rules wouldn’t take effect until January 2, 2017.

Today, the sign outside Mulligan’s Bar and Grill said a mouthful: “Great Food, No Smoking.”

“It is what it is, right?” asked bar owner Pat Mulligan. “Seat belt law comes into effect you gotta wear a seat belt, don’t have to like it, you got to accept it.”

Pat Mulligan was one of the biggest critics of an expanded smoking ban proposal before it passed. Now he’s got a new attitude—along with a new everything else.

“We repainted our place, put in all brand new ceiling tiles, all new tables and chairs, give it a fresh look, painted all the walls,” Mulligan said “You don’t smell smoke in here anymore.”

The conversion from critic to conformist was a quick one. So quick, Mulligan banned smoking in his establishment in early August.

“We've increased our food sales a ton, we've met a lot of new people,” Mulligan said. “A lot of people wouldn't come in here before because it was smoking.”

Mulligan says the move required a sizeable investment and was a little scary but “it’s gone well for us, knock on wood, that’s great. I hope it goes well for all the businesses.”

Meantime, the options on the table at Murphy’s Backyard Pub include a possible move to Mishawaka—a city that has no plans to ban smoking in bars.

“I did buy a bar, the old Jerry’s Pub on 6th Street,” said Murphy’s owner Mike Jolly. “If I have to take my business to Mishawaka, that’s, it’s an option I’m keeping on hold right now because I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

Murphy’s is a self-described biker bar and while its patrons are loyal, Jolly figures business after a ban would drop by at least 20 percent.

The big problem is Murphy’s current proximity to Mishawaka. “I am a block away from city limits between Mishawaka and South Bend, I just happen to be on the South Bend side where the city went nonsmoking.”

The group Smoke Free St. Joe is doing its best to help business owners make the adjustment. Today the group held a tailgate party at Mulligan’s to celebrate its smoke free status.

According to the group, there are about 60 bars and taverns in South Bend that currently allow smoking.