St. Tammany News

Smoke-Free Act in affect: Reactions Mixed

Currently, "We have one side smoking, and one side non-smoking," said Stanford Dahl, a manager at Waffle House on Gause Boulevard.

Alex Peragine enjoys one of the last cigarettes he can smoke inside The Tap Room in Covington. Beginning Jan. 1, the Tap Room will be strictly non-smoking. (Staff Photo by Shane m. Douglas)

Beginning tomorrow, however, Waffle House will be totally non-smoking. Yes, Waffle House, and even at 2 in the morning.

It's all due to the Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1, and bans smoking in public places, with the exception of bars, casinos and tobacco shops.

Customers have told Dahl they are not looking forward to it. But Dahl is.

The restaurant will be less smoky, people will be in and out faster, and "I'm a non-smoker," said Dahl.

As required by law, staff at Waffle House and all other restaurants, will remove the ashtrays and post no-smoking signs when they open for business tomorrow.

Not all businesses in St. Tammany are eager to see the smoke clear, however.

"We plan on abiding by the law, but no one is happy about it," said Norma Thiac of George's Grill, a blue-collar joint on Louisiana Highway 59 in Abita Springs that serves chicken fried steak, po-boys and fresh iced tea. Lunch at George's Grill typically draws a crowd of work crews, who come in for a hot meal and a warm cigarette.

The restaurant is being forced to establish a policy it doesn't want to establish, Thiac said, adding if someone owns a business, they should be able to run it as they see fit.

"We'll lose business," Thiac said.

At Copeland's of New Orleans in Covington, however, the mood just before the law takes effect is one of acceptance.

"I've heard nothing negative about it," said Dustin Dean, the manager at Copeland's.

Dean doesn't foresee any problems. If a customer does light up a cigarette, staff will politely ask the customer to put it out. If they don't, they'll call police, Dean said.

As for some restaurants, the law simply won't matter.

Nana Fay's Po-Boys & Gumbo in Slidell has been strictly non-smoking since opening about a year ago.

"Our dining room isn't large enough to have a smoking section," said owner Bob Powell.

The restaurant does have a large front porch, where customers and staff smoke, the owner said. As for the new law, Powell said it won't affect his business.

Where the new law gets somewhat complicated, however, is with smaller establishments that function as both a bar and a restaurant.

"It's not going to hurt an Outback. It's not going to hurt a Copeland's," said Steve Ahrons, owner of the Tap Room in downtown Covington. But it will hurt the small mom-and-pop restaurants, he said.

The Tap Room looks more like a traditional bar than it does a restaurant. It's long and narrow, with a bar and about 30 taps of various beers along one side. Tables and chairs adorn the rest of the business, and there's a stage for the bands that play up front.

"We unfortunately function as both (a bar and restaurant)," said Ahrons, and because the Tap Room functions as an eatery, it falls under the new law.

The Tap Room typically stops serving food around 9 p.m., and then resembles the typical bar with music venue. However, the law still applies as he interprets it, Ahrons said. Which means bar and concert patrons wont be able to smoke either, even hours after kitchen has closed down. Starting tomorrow, "We're a non-smoking operation," Ahrons said. That aspect could put Ahrons' business at a disadvantage to the nearby bars that don't serve food.

"We have a large smoking clientele," said Ahrons. The Tap Room does have an outdoor patio that may work as the designated smoking area.

Still, the new law could help attract new customers that don't appreciate the smoke, Ahrons said. But the law does seem a little unfair, he said, adding casinos are still food and beverage establishments, and it doesn't apply to them.

Ahrons is making large posters to inform customers about the new law. He's not sure how, exactly, his staff will be able to enforce the law. Bouncers typically stay at the door, and bartenders get into a non-stop motion of making drinks, Ahrons said.

"But if we have to enforce it, we will," he said.

Besides restaurants and other public places, the law applies to bowling alleys.

For a while now, Gail Wright has had people say to her: "Jan. 1 is coming, Jan. 1 is coming."

Wright, the regional manager for Leisure Recreation, which owns Tiffany Lanes in Mandeville and Bowling USA in Slidell, isn't too sure what to expect from the new law.

While some customers at the bowling alleys, like the ones who are chanting for the arrival of Jan. 1, are looking forward to the smoke clearing, others are cringing at the non-smoking mandate as if it were a 7-10 split.

"I'm going to have a lot of unhappy people in league bowling," said Wright, but she doesn't feel she has a choice. "I'm just going to comply with the law."

Fines for people found guilty of smoking in public places range from $25 for the first offense to $100 for the third offense.

Employers violating the law face tougher fines: $100 for the first offense, $250 for the second and $500 for the third.