2 E.L. eateries opt for smoke-free status
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Two East Lansing restaurants have made the decision to ban smoking in the past month, a change that will come to all Michigan businesses if the Legislature passes a statewide smoking ban.
Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., and Harrison Roadhouse, 720 Michigan Ave., each have begun prohibiting smoking in their dining rooms.
Trisha Riley, co-owner of Harper’s, said she contemplated the ban for a long time before making the decision.
“It’s a personal choice,” she said.
“I think it is important for health and business.”
The trend of going smoke-free comes on the heels of several attempts in the Legislature to impose a smoking ban.
One such bill, sponsored by Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor, made it to a committee last year, but differences between the House and Senate kept it from being accepted. The Senate supported Basham’s original bill, while the House amended it to exempt cigar bars and casinos.
“Senator Basham wants a ban with no exemptions,” Basham’s Chief of Staff Andrea Cascarilla said.
Cascarilla said Basham is confident the ban will be enacted this year because many new House members are supportive of a ban. If a bill is passed, Michigan will join 34 other states with a ban already in place.
Despite growing popularity, many restaurant and bar owners still are opposed to the ban. Andy Deloney, vice president of public affairs for the Michigan Restaurant Association, said the association is against the idea of a state mandate limiting businesses independence.
“We support the freedom and choice (of restaurant owners) to make their decisions,” he said. “More people are voting with their wallets for non-smoking, but some restaurants still choose to cater to smokers.”
Besides allowing the free market work, Deloney said there are concerns about health departments’ ability to enforce the ban with limited staff.
Smoke-free establishments are a welcome relief for non-smoking students such as psychology junior Collin Webster.
“I don’t smoke and it makes it more enjoyable for me,” he said. “ … People who smoke are usually pretty resilient. They’ll go wherever they can smoke.”
But owners of some East Lansing bars that still allow smoking said they are hesitant to switch and risk losing customers.
Joe Bell, owner of The Peanut Barrel Restaurant, 521 E. Grand River Ave., said he’ll wait until the government makes a decision for him.
“When (the bill passes) we’ll cooperate,” he said. “It’ll hurt business initially, but I think it will be OK in the long run.”
Riley said Harper’s hasn’t lost any business since banning smoking.
“There have been a lot of people from all standpoints who say they like it,” she said.
“It was a risk, but we’re committed to making it work.”
Commentary
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HA
(02/10/09 10:50pm)Report
This is why I drink at home.
I can get a case of beer and smoke all I want, as opposed to going out, not smoking and buying 4 dollar beers.
Bye-Bye bar businesses in MI
Jason B
(02/11/09 8:27am)Report
Whatever, HA. I was out in california a few years ago and there is no smoking at any bars or restaurants allowed there. It did not seem like business was hurting at all. It was packed everywhere we went. I think the bar business in MI will be alright.
Jason B
(02/11/09 8:31am)Report
I don’t smoke, never have, and can’t stand the smell of smoke when I’m eating. And I hate leaving the bar and stinking like smoke, and then my car stinks like smoke for days. I love going out to places that don’t allow smoking. There are some places I will not go back to because the smoking was so bad. And there is no such thing as a “non-smoking” section of a restaurant. The smoke lingers in the air and makes its way everywhere. I can’t wait till there’s a smoking ban. Next time I’m back in EL I’m definitely going to harrison roadhouse to support their decision.
Juan
(02/11/09 8:31am)Report
As it should be – a matter of choice for the owners of a particular business. If they think it’s in their interest, then they should be smoke free. If they don’t, then they shouldn’t. Get the a-hole legislators out of the picture…they don’t actually know better than everybody else, despite what they may happen to think.
Spartan 2000
(02/11/09 8:40am)Report
If every bar in MI has an equal playing field because of a statewide smoking ban, how exactly is that going to hurt business? What, is there going to be a mass exodus every Friday night to bars in Indiana? That’s the only nearby state where you CAN smoke – IL and OH already have bans. Airlines went non-smoking decades ago. Didn’t stop people from flying.
Michael T.
(02/11/09 11:20am)Report
I support restaurants & bars that are smoke free. I was very disappointed that the Michigan Legislature couldn’t pass a smoke free bill.
Great Choice
(02/11/09 4:33pm)Report
It is great to see Harpers and Harrison Road House take a little initiative and go smoke free. “Ha” — everyone is right — people in areas with the smoking ban are still going to the bars and restaurants. It is great to have the option to go to a place that is not full of smoke. The only down is that in most areas they have yet to ban smoking in public places, so now you have to deal with people standing on the sidewalks smoking in front of places that do not allow indoor smoking. Maybe we can one day see a smoke free public space America.
mk
(02/12/09 8:08pm)Report
This is great news, and I’ll probably go to both of these places more to support their move to smoke-free.
Ryan
(02/17/09 1:36pm)Report
I dont think it would necessarily hurt Peanut Barrel’s Business… personally me and my friends really love Peanut Barrel but dont go there because of all the smoking. As soon as they stopped allowing smoking we would show up, but we wont go there until they do.
life guard
(02/17/09 10:36pm)Report
“Having a smoking section at a restuarant is like having a peeing section in a public pool”…think about it…