Take it outside: Smoking ban takes toll on Creston bars, restaurants

CNA photo by ANDY GOODELL The morning after: These cigarette butts litter the street outside a restaurant in Creston early this morning. Since the statewide ban outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants July 1, many owners of these kinds of businesses find themselves sweeping up a mess like this regularly.

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Things have changed now that the smoke has cleared. More than a month after the statewide smoking ban became law July 1, bar and restaurant owners in Creston are feeling the effects, both good and bad. Most say their patrons have complied with the law, begrudgingly or not. Norma Sammons, owner of Montgomery Street Pub, said her customers are not entirely happy with having to leave their drinks inside the bar every time they want to go outside to smoke. “They’re all upset,” said Sammons. “Some of them would come in for a beer and a cigarette after work, and now they just go home.” The dreaded winter Sammons said she is looking into obtaining licensing, which would allow her bar to have a beer garden where customers could drink and smoke in the same place outside. However, that won’t be of much help once winter comes, she said. “They’ll freeze to death,” Sammons said bluntly. Side Tracked owner Randy Hagle is also concerned about what will happen to his business when the weather cools down. Hagle has already opened a beer garden to keep his customers happy, but said he’s concerned about revenues once it gets really cold outside. Like Sammons, Hagle said his business has already suffered as a result of a law that separates two things many people see as inseparable. “Most of my customers just think alcohol and tobacco go together,” explained Hagle. “We’re trying to adapt to it, but we’re not enjoying it.” While the weather is still steamy, one of the only shared burdens Creston restaurant and bar owners face is cleaning up the cigarette butts that can accumulate just outside their businesses. “Every morning I sweep up 100 butts,” said Dino Groumoutis, A&G Pizza and Steak House owner. An up side It hasn’t been all bad for members of the food and drink industry in Creston, though. Creston Family Restaurant Owner Mike Limani said their business has seen a mild improvement since July 1. “We’ve seen somewhat of an increase (in customers),” said Limani. “The majority of our customers are nonsmokers.” Elm’s Club co-owner Donna King agreed, saying the food sales in particular had improved in the past four weeks or so. People who wouldn’t have come to the Elm’s in the past have also been showing up there, she added. “We have a lot of comments about how clean it smells,” said King. “We’ve been seeing some new faces.” Can’t stay long Janet Hayes, co-owner of The Windrow, said her smoking customers haven’t disappeared completely. She said the rising price of gasoline may have had more of a negative impact on her business than anything else, including the statewide smoking ban. Hayes did say a few of her smoking patrons have taken extra measures to continue smoking. “Before, they’d have a few cocktails before dinner and stay and eat,” she said. “Now they’ll have one drink and take their dinner home.” —————— Andy Goodell can be reached at (641) 782-2141 ext. 242 or agoodell@crestonnews.com