Westmoreland bars, clubs weigh pros and cons of going smokeless
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Owners of public and private establishments in Westmoreland County had a lot to consider when deciding on a future for smokers at their establishments.
“When you hear about a VFW that went nonsmoking and had to go back because they couldn’t sustain themselves, that’s really what it boils down to,” said John Rause, president of the Ash Club, a private bar in Greensburg. “It’s hard enough to get members in to sustain the club as it is. If we banned smoking, we’d have a lot of members who wouldn’t renew.”
The club, on Harrison Avenue, is one of 75 businesses in Westmoreland County with exemptions from the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act. That is the third-highest in the state, behind Allegheny (372) and Luzerne (114) counties.
The act, passed by the Legislature in 2008, prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces, though it allows for exceptions: private social clubs, like VFW posts, and parts of casino gaming floors.
Rause is a nonsmoker who grew up in a smoking household. He said he understands patrons’ preference to light up at the bar, but he’d prefer it otherwise.
“I just think it would be a cleaner place,” he said. “Having it nonsmoking would be a little easier on the inside of the building.”
Farther east on Route 30, Sharky’s Bar in Unity removed its smoking room at the beginning of August.
“Honestly, it’s not a revenue-driving section of the restaurant,” owner John Huemme said. “People have become more aware of their health, and a lot of patrons have expressed a dislike of smoking.”
Huemme was initially concerned that eliminating the room — outfitted similarly to a cigar-bar lounge, with leather couches, high-top tables and televisions — would hinder business and send customers to clubs that did allow smoking.
“But, over the course of time, people have accepted it and enjoy not leaving smelling like smoke,” Huemme said.
It also doesn’t hurt that the smoking room is now home to two golf simulators.
“They’re really nice, and they draw a different niche crowd,” Huemme said. “It’s a better use and better revenue driver for that space.”
Sharky’s also has a sizable parking lot where patrons can go for a smoke, unlike the Ash Club.
“We don’t have a good area or patio where people can pop out, have a smoke and come back in,” Rause said. “If we had that, and if we’re able to get our kitchen going and serve food, I think we could transition to a nonsmoking club. We’ve tried to weigh both sides of it, and it’s kind of a risk.”
Huemme said for Sharky’s, it was a risk worth taking.
“I think, in the end, it was a good thing,” he said.