Restaurant patrons across Georgia may soon step out for a smoke

<p>The days when Georgians can walk into a Waffle House or Huddle House and smoke a cigarette with their meal appear to be numbered.</p><p>Thanks to a statewide smoking ban approved by Georgia lawmakers last week, smokers may no longer be able to take advantage of a patchwork of local smoking bans and simply search for a nearby diner where they can light up.</p><p>Instead, the statewide ban would do away with smoking in family restaurants. The bill would ban smoking in most public businesses but includes an exemption for bars, restaurants that serve only adults and small businesses.</p><p>It's set to go into effect July 1 if it gets Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature. However, the governor has said he has some concerns about the bill, in particular that he doesn't want government to be "the end-all and be-all nanny for all people."</p><p>Perdue has until May 10 to decide whether to sign or veto the ban.</p><p>Smoker Warren Saye of Tucker remembers the first time he walked into his favorite Waffle House and was told DeKalb County had a ban on smoking in all restaurants.</p><p>"I said 'I'm going to have to find me another place,'" said the 80-year-old Saye who has been retired for years. "I stopped for a while and found another place (in Gwinnett County), but I ended up going back when they got a smoking ban, too. I'd still like to have a cigarette when I get through drinking my coffee."</p><p>As a rule, most restaurants prefer a statewide ban on smoking to local bans. The Huddle House would prefer that, while Waffle House officials say they really don't care one way or the other.</p><p>"We want local communities to decide for themselves," says Pat Warner, head of public relations for the Waffle House.</p><p>A statewide ban, he said, "would be easier on us, but again we don't want to be championing one way or the other."</p><p>Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, a Waffle House executive, however, was one of the ban's chief supporters _ saying it would put all restaurants on a level playing field.</p><p>The other major player in Southern diners, Huddle House, would prefer to have either a total smoking ban for a state or no ban anywhere in the state.</p><p>"There's not a lot of consistency to local smoking bans," said Mike Wiemers, vice president of operations for Huddle House. "Some areas you can smoke in the county and across the street in the city you can't. We would like to see consistency statewide, be fair and equitable in any establishment that serves food."</p><p>The Georgia Restaurant Association also prefers a total ban or none at all.</p><p>"In general, the situation we have currently in Georgia is unmanageable," said Ron Wolf, executive director of the state association. "The proliferation of local bans, from our perspective, has created some incredible inequities in our business. We support the idea of having it uniform statewide."</p><p>Wolf and his cohorts don't like the fact that the ban does not apply to bars.</p><p>"The law should apply to restaurants and bars and others equally," Wolf said.</p><p>Geno Hill has been through the beginning of smoking bans at two AMF bowling alleys _ the first in Stone Mountain and currently AMF Gwinnett Lanes near Norcross.</p><p>It had an effect on both, he said.</p><p>"We had a slowdown in the 18 to 35 age range and an increase in family units participating in bowling _ the mama, daddy and kids," Hill said. "I think it might end up growing the business. We suffered for probably three weeks."</p><p>Hill says he remembers when he let patrons know they no longer would be allowed to light up in the building.</p><p>"My bowlers stood up and clapped," he said.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/4/148223