Smooth transition : Restaurant owners, hotel managers say smoking ban is old hat now
Posted on Sunday, December 23, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/56969/
BENTON COUNTY — For months leading up to Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee signing the Clean Indoor Air Act into law in June 2006, restaurant owners and even some hotel managers wondered what impact it would have on business. Would it drive smoking customers away ? Would it be a hassle ? Would it cause some smaller businesses, particularly those that operated as private clubs where smoking was more prevalent, to go under ?
Nineteen months later, those questions have been answered. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that not only have customers adapted, but the smoking ban has actually led to increased business at many establishments.
“ It’s actually been a very positive thing for my business, ” said Cecil Turner, owner of the Station Cafe, on the Bentonville Square. “ I was actually considering going nonsmoking before the state brought the issue up, but when the government started dragging its feet I just went ahead and did it. Within a few months, the whole state went smoke-free and it just took all the weight off my shoulders.
“ We had some complaints at first, but the way I look at it, if smokers can’t wait 20 to 30 minutes for a cigarette, then there’s something wrong. Most can. It made it so much better for those who don’t smoke. I estimate my business has actually increased by about 10 to 12 percent since the smoking ban. ”
Reno Trosper, general manager at Buffalo Wild Wings, just west of Interstate 540 in Bentonville, said he’s witnessed just as smooth a transition. Buffalo Wild Wings was constructed with a large glass wall separating the bar area from the main restaurant floor to provide designated smoking and nonsmoking areas. That glass wall still exists, but for the past 19 months, customers have been stepping out to the patio to indulge.
“ There were some people who were annoyed at first, and we had to tell some to put out their cigarettes, ” Trosper said, “ but by now, it’s old hat. Everyone knows the rules, and there are no complaints. Everyone knows where to go. Business is as strong as ever. ”
And he’s not surprised.
“ People still have to eat, ” Trosper said, “ especially around here, where eating out is an everyday thing for a lot of people. I do believe it’s a lot better atmosphere now that you don’t have smoke-filled rooms. I’d say everything has gone very smooth. ”
Feedback from many hotel managers has been similar. There may have been a learning curve when the Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect. But it’s smooth sailing now — and pretty much has been since the beginning.
“ From our perspective, there’s been very little impact, ” said David Lang, general manager of the Embassy Suites in Rogers. “ It’s something that’s really become culturally expected now from our guests. Most of the larger markets have had smoking bans in place for a while, and we get quite a few people staying with us from Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. So this is nothing new to them. People just go outside, and they’re not put out by having to do so. ”
For some, however, habits are hard to break. At the newly refurbished Hyatt Place in Rogers, there is a $ 200 penalty assessed to any guests who smoke in their rooms. And there have been those who simply decide to pay up before even lighting up.
“ You have people who will slap $ 200 on the counter when they’re checking in just so they can smoke in their rooms, ” said Brian Zacharias, general manager at the Hyatt Place. “ Smoking in rooms is not prohibited by law, so you never know. But for the most part, it’s been a very easy transition. ”
For some, such as Turner at the Station Cafe, the smoking ban has been an opportunity not only to air out his restaurant, but his own lungs as well.
“ I had personally been a smoker for 50 years, ” Turner said. “ I’ve since kicked the habit. I was a smoker, and I could even tell the difference within a week or two of the smoking ban. It was so much nicer in here. I felt better. ”
The Tobacco Prevention and Education program, a grant-funded operation run through the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, held 10 presentations and special gatherings to educate restaurant owners and residents prior to the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act in Arkansas. Program coordinator Megan Cuddy said there were those who voiced concerns about the ban, but those concerns have faded.
“ We’ve heard very little negativity about it, ” Cuddy said. “ Since it was a uniform thing statewide, a lot of owners say it took the pressure off them. The call rate on the state’s quit line have actually gone up, and the rate of youths smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco in Arkansas has gone down as well. ”
According to Cuddy, the state-facilitated quit-smoking line, which offers resources to assist Arkansans in dropping their habit, fielded a record 362 calls from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007.
The Arkansas Protection from Secondhand Smoke for Children Act of 2006, which was passed at the same time smoking was banned in public places, is one people are still getting used to, however.
“ While people know not to smoke in restaurants now, there are still a lot of people who aren’t aware it’s against the law to smoke in their cars with young children present, ” Cuddy said. “ I know the police are enforcing it here in Rogers, but I still see a lot of people doing it. That’s one of the examples where word still needs to get out there. A lot of people just don’t realize. ”