Smoking ban in bars?: Some bar owners say it would hurt business; advocates say we’d all be healthier for it

Published 3:35 pm Wednesday, June 7, 2006

By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Smoking and bars go hand-in-hand.
People can expect to encounter some sort of smoke - cigarette or cigar - when dining or drinking in Michigan bars.
Lou Thwaits, owner and manager of The Tavern in Niles, knows some people may avoid her business because of that.
For now, that will remain the case in Berrien County and the entire state. But, a local group called the Berrien Healthy Consortium is taking steps toward making their county smoke free.
The county group is a panel comprised of leaders of the major health care organizations in Berrien County, including the Berrien County Health Department, the Department of Human Services and Lakeland Regional Health Systems.
Last month, the group unanimously voted to spearhead a campaign aimed at making all public areas in Berrien County smoke free.
The county health department was named as the main organization to lead the effort and has applied to the Michigan Department of Community Health for funding. The Michigan Smoke-Free Regulation Task Force has also been brought on board.
Dr. Rick Johansen, medical director for Berrien County Health Department, said a plan for the changes are currently in the developing stages. Johansen said an outline of the steps are expected in the next month.
Johansen said some new Whirlpool employees moving to Benton Harbor from areas already enforcing smoking bans, such as California, have been questioning if a mandate would be put in place in Michigan.
There are already 13 counties in Michigan that have passed some sort of mandates over smoking in public. And, a smoking ban in St. Joseph County was passed April 10.
The idea starts with eliminating smoking from all public places in Berrien County. Johansen said that includes work places, public buildings and schools and school properties, such as ball fields. A combination of signage and verbal and non-verbal reminders from non-smokers would lead the way, Johansen said.
The next step would ultimately be establishing a no smoking ordinance for all restaurants and bars, a concept currently not allowed by Michigan law. Johansen said overcoming the current policy would mean changing the minds of some very large organizations, such as the Michigan Restaurant Association and the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association.
Both groups have said the choice of whether or not restuarants and bars allow smoking should be left up to the owners.
One of the beliefs among the associations, and many restaurant and bar owners, is that no smoking would mean less business. But, Johansen argued that is not the case.
Johansen added surveys done in resort states like Florida and California have proved there is little economic impact on bars and restaurants that enforce smoking bans.
Plus, Johansen said the number of unhealthy statistics about exposure to secondhand smoke is too large to ignore.
According to the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke is number three on the list of leading preventable causes of death in the U.S., and, it kills 38,000 to 65,000 nonsmokers every year.
Environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoke can cause lung cancer and heart disease in nonsmokers. Plus, individuals working in the food service industry may be 50 percent more likely than the genaral population to develop lung cancer.
Information from the American Cancer Society states this is mainly due to the fact many restaurant and bar employees are exposed to secondhand smoke on the job.
Niles restaurant owners Earl and Linda Foster can attest to Johansen's claims that business does not neccessarily take a dive when smokers are booted. The Fosters, who own and manage a pair of eateries in Niles, decided to make The Home Plate on South 11th Street completely smoke free on Jan. 1, 2004.
The Fosters said they started notifying customers of the change at The Home Plate in October 2003. The overall reaction from most of the regulars was not good.
But, it was the customers who ended up being wrong. Though there was an initial decrease in the number of regular visitors, Linda said The Home Plate lost only eight regular customers in the long run.
New customers began visiting the diner as well. Linda said families with young children started coming in more and even a few customers who were extremely asthmatic started stopping by again.
The Fosters both said going smoke free at The Home Plate was not a mistake, and the no smoking policy remained when Linda's Hob Nob Bistro opened in January in downtown Niles. The decision to keep the air clean has been a way of protecting a very expensive investment, Linda said.
Having the choice of how to run a business is a right many bar and restaurant owners believe should always exist.
Owner of The Golden Nuggett in Niles David Dulemba said the laws as they are now seem to be working just fine.
A large majority of the Golden Nuggett's customers are not smokers, which largely relieves Dulemba of the issue. The bar has 70 nonsmoking seats and on the other side of a wall there are 60 spots for those who wish to smoke.
Dulemba said the nonsmoking section is usually the first to fill up during the busy dinner rushes Friday and Saturday nights. And, some smokers even choose to sit in the nonsmoking section.
The Tavern does not offer a smoking choice for customers. Part of the reason could be because the size of the bar does not allow for it.
But, the policy could also reflect the expectations regular customers have when walking through the door, which at The Tavern, is always having the freedom to smoke.
And, if someday patrons of The Tavern were not allowed to light up while perched at the bar, it could mean problems for the owner.
The debate is still open on whether business could deteriorate if a smoking ban for bars and restaurants was put in place. But, one opinion seems to be very clear: The choice should belong to the owner, most say..