Monday, July 10 2006
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Diners who turn up their noses at a whiff of tobacco with their smoked ham or blackened catfish have a new ally in making Pennsylvania's bars and restaurants smoke-free.
The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, which had long opposed a statewide smoking ban, now wants the air in public establishments to be free of smoke.
Reactions locally have been mixed, with some restaurant owners and managers favoring a ban and others saying patrons should be able to decide the issue for themselves.
In the long run, a ban likely would have a minimal effect on their businesses, they said.
Nick Grigoriades, the cigar-smoking owner of Symposium Mediterranean Restaurant at 125 S. Centerville Road, enthusiastically supports a ban.
"I would love to have that," he said. "Right now, I have a lot of people who prefer not to smoke ... and we have customers who do. You can't tell them no smoking unless it's banned."
A statewide ban "will be great," he added. "We are looking for a clean environment. Even though I smoke cigars, I will find a way to do it outdoors or somewhere that it won't bother anyone."
Grigoriades said a ban has been successful in many states "and hasn't been a problem" for them.
"There might be a few customers who have a problem with it, but they'll get used to it. If it's the law, they'll have to obey."
More than 15 states and 400 cities, towns and counties -- including New York City -- have passed no-smoking laws.
Similar legislation has been discussed in the Pennsylvania Legislature for years.
State Sen. Noah W. Wenger, R-Stevens, said the restaurant association's endorsement "will have an influence" on the Legislature's decision next time around.
"Is it going to happen now? I'm not going to predict that," Wenger said. "But it certainly will add strength to the effort."
Many restaurant and bar owners seem willing to follow the example of Harrisburg's lead, which has a ban.
"When they tell us to do it, we'll do it," Belvedere Inn manager Rob Smith said Wednesday. "We're not going to do it before that."
The Belvedere, 402 N. Queen St., has a nonsmoking dining room, but the rest of the facility -- including two bars, a deck and a lounge -- allow smoking.
Smith said he doubts a ban on smoking would have much impact on his business.
"There's a lot of debate in New York on whether or not this is a good thing," he said.
"I think generally, after the first couple of months, it works out fine. Business gets back to normal, and the customers and employees are happier."
Brett Stabley, owner of the Alley Kat, 30 W. Lemon St., said he's not surprised by the move to ban smoking.
"Certainly there's no support for the idea that smoke or secondhand smoke is good for anybody," he said.
The impetus behind a ban, Stabley said, is protecting the health of employees.
"There's no real arguing with that," he said. "Personally, I have mixed opinions.
"Certainly, it's better in the long run. Everyone who smokes knows they shouldn't. But I've always felt it should be up to the discretion of the owner of the establishment."
Chip Kerek, co-owner of Strawberry Hill, 128 W. Strawberry St., said the public should decide the issue.
"We do not like legislation in this direction," he said. "We will probably be the last restaurant to go that direction.
"We have some very good customers who like to smoke - but we understand that some people are sensitive to smoke, and therefore, we are sensitive to them."
Bube's Brewery owner Sam Allen said a smoking ban would be unfair to establishments that have paid for separate ventilation systems to reduce the impact of smoking on others.
"It's not going to have a huge impact on us. People will just step aside to smoke, I guess," Allen said.
"I'm too busy to become an activist for smokers. I don't smoke myself, so it's hard to feel the passion. But I think it's wrong to restrict the rights of individuals," he said.
"It's a freewill public. If you don't want to go into a smoky bar, don't go in that bar."
Stabley said it's hard to balance the needs of nonsmoking patrons with the desires of "a large clientele that still does smoke."
"It doesn't make it right, but for years, smoking has gone hand in hand with drinking a beer. But times are changing," he said.
"Whatever decision is made, we'll go along with it. Healthwise, it's certainly the better scenario. But initially, at least, it will hurt business to a degree."
Source: Tom Knapp,
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, of The Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster, PA
Published July 06, 2006
