Bars see increase in business since smoking ban May 17, 2010 By LANA MINI It’s been only weeks since Michiganians were forced to extinguish nearly every form of indoor smoking - and surprising to many, business at many local bars has already increased. For years, as the Michigan legislature talked about the smoking ban, many bar owners quietly worried that doing so would kill their business – even though they were concerned about secondhand smoke risks for their employees and themselves. The opinions of business owners were controversial. If they spoke against a ban, they would offend their non-smoking clients. If they wanted clean air, their cigarette-loving patrons might grow angry. But now that the law is the law, bar owners are speaking out. Bobby Walker, the night manager at Snooker’s in Utica, said he’s had former smoking customers return to his bar, after disappearing years ago. Often when a smoking customer quits cigarettes, they tend to avoid places of temptation. Since the ban, a few faces have returned. “It was nice to see,” Walker said. “Our business hasn’t changed and I don’t smoke so it doesn’t affect me. The biggest change is the air doesn’t smell. The smokers, so far, don’t seem to mind much going outside. But it hasn’t been too cold out.” At Gator Jake’s in Sterling Heights, General Manager Mike Brooks said he noticed an immediate increase in patronage at the restaurant that’s been in business for more than a decade. “The very next day we had more families coming in,” Brooks said. “When you have kids, you might avoid places if you think it’s going to be smoky. People were making (positive) comments instantly.” Brooks said the vibe at Gator Jake’s has changed a little bit in that he and his employees go outside at least once an hour to clean up cigarette butts, but that doesn’t matter much to him. “It’s been smooth. A few people complained, but that’s expected. There’s a couple people who left, but they will be back because they’ll get bored sitting at home,” he laughed. “We will be here when they do.” Khalil Sardy, a Sterling Heights resident, sees friends going out more. “Everyone was afraid that the bar/club business will go down. From observation, I see an increase. The people who were not going out due to smoking and their clothes smelling are returning,” Sardy said. “The first time I went out after the no-smoking law went into effect, I had a much better experience: no smoke hue, no smoke smell and best of all, when I returned home I didn't need to put my clothes in the garage for the next three days.” At Roger’s Roost, also in Sterling Heights, the business has slightly increased and seating for clients has become easier, said manager Scott Nowicki. “When you have a senior citizen coming in with an oxygen tank, they cannot be anywhere near smoke. So it’s easier to sit everyone. We haven’t had a single incident.” Nowicki said on the first day of the ban, one smoker lit up on the patio. “And when we told him smoking isn’t permitted there, by state law, he apologized and put it out. Everyone’s working together on this.” For some, going outside to smoke is reducing how much nicotine they’re inhaling. Customers not wanting to miss the action inside of bars are stepping outside for quick “half cigarette” breaks. Others are seeing that the smoking section outside is actually becoming as much of a scene as the action inside. “We come out here to smoke and talk about whoever we want who’s inside,” laughed May Donovan of Sterling Heights while smoking a Virginia Slim cigarette near Sterling Lanes last weekend. “It’s not bad now, but during the winter, I hope everyone’s planning to get heat lamps,” added her sister-in-law Kerri Dunlap. “There’s people much more mad than me. There’s Facebook groups just for people who want their rights back. I should be able to at least sit on the patio of a restaurant and have a smoke with my wine.” Shelby Township resident Donna Freeman said the crowds outside the bars give the illusion the locale is ultra-hip. "When you drive by a place with crowds outside, you think, 'Wow, that place must be packed.’ Then you realize it's the smokers. I'm sure I'll join them once in a while - if it's not raining. Nothing worse than smelling like smoke and getting wet at the same time."