It has been approximately three months since the no-smoking ordinance has been in effect in bars, restaurants, places of employment and other public places in Starkville.
At first, area businesses such as Rick’s, Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern and Big Daddy’s were worried that a no-smoking ordinance might cause a decrease in their profits.
A decrease in business is generally expected by bars when the summer comes and when students leave school to go home for the summer, said Wesley Wright, a member of the managerial staff at Rick’s.
“At first we thought the decrease in profits might be because of the no-smoking ordinance, but later on, by closer inspection, we figured it was only because it was summer, and that is usually the time when profits decrease,” said Wright.
The no-smoking ordinance and the opening of Rick’s Tiki Bar happened to coincide perfectly.
“The Tiki Bar was actually planned far in advance,” Wesley said. “The addition of our tiki bar helped a lot with the transition from Rick’s being a smoking bar to it now being a non-smoking bar. Customers can still smoke outside; however, in the tiki bar they don’t miss out on any of the social aspects of going out.”
Rick’s did not have to spend any extra money to mollify the no smoking ordinance.
“Since we were building the tiki bar that had already been planned, we didn’t have to pay any extra money to have a patio made or to have a smoking section made, as in an addition to the building,” Wright said. “We only had to move ashtrays outside.”
One result of the no-smoking ordinance has been the return of older patrons to the bar.
“We definitely have seen a return of more people in the 30 to 50 age range,” Wright said. “They now feel that hanging out in the bar can be fun again, especially without having to worry about any of the health concerns being around smoke comes with.”
Down the street at Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern, management indicated another sales increase.
“Food sales have gone way up,” said Dave Alexander, one of Dave’s managers.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase in the crowd coming up here. Dave’s has always been a more diverse crowd, what with students as wells as professors being patrons.”
To accommodate the no-smoking ordinance, Dave’s set up a patio on the outside that was attached to the bar.
“Mostly we just put up a fence, added some chairs and tables and put some ashtrays outside,” Alexander said. “We also put in a few new booths just to spruce up the atmosphere that we probably wouldn’t have done if it weren’t for the ordinance.”
Downtown at Big Daddy’s, atmosphere and food sales are not the only things that have improved.
“I think behavior of people, not only patrons but also employees, has definitely improved,” said Lorenzo Crawford, executive chef at Big Daddy’s, said. “At first there were the initial complaints, but smokers don’t really care if they just have to step outside for a minute.”
Big Daddy’s did not have to make any accommodations for the no-smoking ordinance.
“Smokers just step outside and usually sit on the steps so they’re not blocking anyone from coming into the bar. Maybe if they had to walk all the way around the corner and be completely out of sight, we might have some complaints then.”
Crawford also added that, because of the no-smoking ordinance, bars in Starkville have collectively become a better atmosphere.
“The crowds are friendlier and the people eat more. What else, as a chef, could I ask for?”