Mark Hemmis needed more high chairs.
As the owner of the Phoenix Emporium in Ellicott City, Hemmis has seen his family clientele rise slightly ? while his bar crowd thinned a bit ? in the six months since Howard?s smoking ban went into effect.
“We went from four high chairs to eight,” Hemmis said recently.
Hemmis knew the Phoenix Emporium had the image of being just a bar, so when the ban went into effect in June, he tried to capitalize on it.
He sent out mailings advertising the spot as nonsmoking, trying to bring back the people who frequented the Phoenix in their 20s and now have families, he said.
“Our business hasn?t grown much, but it hasn?t declined,” said Hemmis, referring to the effect of the ban.
No citations have been issued to any bars and restaurants, said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard?s health officer.
Health officials received 27 calls to a complaint hot line, most of which were informational, Beilenson said. Bars and restaurants must receive multiple complaints before being fined, he said.
Individual offenders face a $100 fine, and establishment owners could get a $250 citation. Multiple offenses could result in a $250-to- $500 fine for owners.
Some smaller restaurants and bars have had to spend money installing outdoor smoking areas, said Joe Barbera, owner of Aida Bistro in Columbia and a Howard County Restaurant Association board member.
