Dine in, Smoke out

Class project encourages restaurants To prohibit smoking indoors

If one has ever noticed how cigarette smoke from the smoking section of a restaurant doesn't seem to stay in its "designated area," he or she is probably not the only one. A group of Health Program Planning and Evaluation students and local restaurant owners are teaming up for what they are calling the Dine In/Smoke Out program, to deal with that very problem.

From class to community
The Health Program Planning and Evaluation course is designed to teach students how to "plan, implement and evaluate health promotion programs," according to the JMU course catalog.

JMU professor Jeanne Martino-McAllister assigned a group of eight JMU students the topic of the effects of environmental smoke. With that topic, the students decided to focus on smoking in restaurants.

Thursday, three local restaurants — Luigi's, Pargo's and Woodfired Italian Oven — have agreed to go smoke-free for a day as part of this program. It is hoped, by these restaurants not offering a smoking section for one day that they will see that they will not lose customers and their nonsmoking customers will be more satisfied with the smokeless environment, according to the group. Through this effort, the group also hopes to raise awareness of smoking in restaurants and the effects of secondhand smoke.

Two to three students will be at each of the restaurants from 5 to 8 p.m. and will have waiters and waitresses pass out surveys throughout customers' meals, according to group member, junior Sarah Corley. The surveys will be numbered, and two customers randomly will be awarded a free dessert to thank them for their participation.

Group members also will be passing out statistics on candy bars and lollipops at the Integrated Science and Technology building Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as on the Warren Hall patio Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In the making
According to group member junior Candice Rogers, the group got the idea to do Dine In/Smoke Out from a similar project that was done in Hampton. Rogers said she thinks it was very successful. The group thinks that the effects of environmental smoke is an important topic to pursue since so many students either go out to bars and restaurants or work there.

The group made pamphlets that quote www.cleanlungs.com as saying, "You can't put chlorine in half of a swimming pool, and you can't keep smoke in half of a restaurant."

Junior Megan Holt has had experience with this dilemma and said she "hate[s] going to a restaurant where the smoking and nonsmoking sections are so close that you're still basically in the smoking section. Maybe [not having a smoking section] is not entirely fair to the smoker, but they do still have the option of going outside."

Junior Monique Lowe, a member of the group researching the subject of environmental smoke, said, "I don't think [having smoking sections in restaurants is] right," and also said that nonsmoking sections don't prevent people from being affected by smoke.

The group said restaurant owners seemed to be concerned with the potential business they could lose if they were to do away with smoking sections — even just for one day. According to The American Lung Association Web site, www.lungusa.org, however, "No properly conducted study [has shown] a negative economic impact. Some even show that a smoke-free measure improves business."

Chain restaurants have the issue of dealing with corporate administrators, which can make it harder for them to become smoke free, according to Rogers. The corporate offices of locally established chain restaurants did not return Rogers' phone calls for comment.

The smoke-free reactions
Secondhand smoke doesn't affect only consumers, according to Rogers. All staff is affected in some way or another, she said.

"I would actually prefer to go to a restaurant that banned smoking," senior Hannah Zippin said. Zippin has waitressed tables and "hated [working in a smoke-filled environment] because by the end of the night, I reeked [of the smell of cigarette smoke]" and the smoke "couldn't have been good for me."

Junior Lauren Scott, a member of the research group, said she thinks restaurant owners want to have a broad range of clientele, which makes it hard for them to go smoke free because they don't want to alienate their smoking patrons.

In opposition, according to a Gallup Survey conducted Nov. 13 to 15, 2000, "Close to half of Americans, 47 percent, say they favor a complete ban on smoking in restaurants." The group's pamphlet also identifies several local restaurants that are smoke free. They include the Joshua Wilton House, Saigon Café, Taste of Thai, Bravo Italian Eatery and Mr. J's Bagels & Deli.

Martino-McAllister said Dine In/Smoke Out will give diners and restaurant staff "an opportunity to experience a smoke-free environment, and maybe take initiative to seek out, or become, smoke-free establishments in the future." She also said that she foresees the students learning "valuable knowledge and skills in planning, implementing and evaluating a health promotion program at the environmental level."

Though changes may be slow in coming, group members at least hope to get the ball rolling. Scott said he hopes this event will show restaurant owners and consumers that going smoke free is an option, but he also realizes a lot more work is necessary.