Restaurants adjusting two weeks after smoking ban

GREEN BAY - Area restaurants are adjusting to the new statewide smoking ban that went into place nearly two weeks ago on July 5th.

"I thought it was going to be worse than what it is, but it's been really good," said Lisa Craanen who is a manager at Hometown Cafe on Green Bay's west side.

Craanen says it took time to clean the restaurant to remove any sign of smoke. She says it has been an improvement for business as well.

"The smell is completely different," said Craanen. "You can smell the cookies now that we bake in the morning. You smell the potatoes and the eggs, so it's completely different."

Mandy Suthers owns Ape Hangers on Broadway in Green Bay and says business has been down since the smoking ban took effect.

"What is it five to seven minutes you smoke a cigarette?" said Suthers. "That is five to seven minutes of not putting money in the till."

Suthers added a canopy outside her bar in preparation for the smoking ban. She says now she has to monitor it because people at other bars are bringing drinks from other establishments to her own.

"We've got other bars coming over to use it now, so we have to monitor them coming over with their drinks and telling them to go back to the other bar and not use our lot," said Suthers.

The owner of Al's Hamburger in Green Bay didn't want to speak to FOX 11 on camera, but says the smoking ban has also taken a hit on his business. He says he has lost about 50% of his regular smoking customers since the ban started.

Kroll's East says it isn't only the businesses that are adjusting to the ban. Patti Debban, a bartender at Krolls, says she had one customer light up a week into the ban.

"She said Patti and I looked at her and she said can you find me an ashtray," said Debban. "For a second I almost was going to look for one and then I thought wait a minute there is the ban. I went behind me, got a paper cup, filled it with water and I said can you douse it. She said oh my god I totally forgot all about it."

The Brown County Tavern League says it hasn't heard of any restaurants not complying with the ban. It has heard from some establishments complaining of slower business.

Some restaurants claim customers that would often stay after eating and smoke now leave directly after their meal.

People caught smoking in restaurants or other workplaces face fines up to $250. Businesses can be fined $100 if someone is caught smoking in their facility.