I didn't realise you were being serious!!
Isn't the answer pretty obvious?
It is/was a business decision to provide an external smoking area so that smokers will still visit the pub and spend money. It didn't work!! The drinkers / smokers have abandoned the pub in their droves, preferring to buy cheap beer from the supermarket and smoke at home. Suits me fine to be honest since we turned the business round to be more of a restaurant than a pub - happy to say the risk I took to do this has been vindicated
We also provide a play area for kids - so parents will bring their little darlings and spend their hard earned cash. We also provide disabled toilets and nappy changing facilities. We also provide a cash machine and fruit machines, all decisions taken to get your hard earned cash off you!!
However I don't agree with your inevitable next comment about SFC not providing external facilities for smokers, because frankly the monetary outlay that would be needed would not - in their case - see any substantial return, so it's of little wonder that they haven't done it.