Smoke-free firm recognized

Members of the Blue Ribbon Committee here are recognizing businesses that have chosen to go smoke-free.

Shelia Patton, owner of Mighty Melt Sandwich and Spud Shop, 2402 W. Broadway Blvd., received a certificate of recognition Tuesday from the Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition, a part of the Blue Ribbon Committee.

Amy Luvin, coalition cochairwoman, said the certificates are “to recognize businesses that have made a choice away from smoking and provide a healthy environment. She said Mighty Melt is the first business to be recognized, but others, beginning with restaurants, would receive certificates. The next recipient has not been chosen yet.

“Our goal is to educate the public about the hazards of second-hand smoke, and to encourage businesses to re-examine their smoking policies,” Luvin said. “As part of the Blue Ribbon plan, we want to focus on cessation efforts, as well as prevention among young people.”

Luvin, a registered nurse with the Pettis County Health Center, said a 2005 study found that 21.3 percent of high school students and 23.4 percent of adults in Missouri used tobacco products. Luvin said the coalition is trying to educate the public in the face of the more than $400 million tobacco companies spend in marketing to Missourians each year.

Luvin said the coalition is “just getting off the ground,” and will continue to develop its role in the community. She noted that several Missouri communities have enacted ordinances to ban smoking in public, and that “that may be a long term goal as we move down the line.” She added that statistics related to the economic impact of smoking bans are “beginning to come in,” but that she thinks she could provide a compelling case to businesses concerned about lost customers or revenues.

Patton, who has owned the shop for almost three years, said the policy was in place when she bought the business, but that “there is no way I would go back.”

She said that barring smoking makes for a “healthier and cleaner” establishment, and “you don’t have to deal with the mess and the smell.”

“When you are sitting in a restaurant and somebody behind you is smoking and they blow their smoke at you — it affects the taste of the food and your experience,” Patton said.

The restaurant has had a handful of complaints about the policy in the past three years, and Patton said she thinks customers appreciate the healthier environment.

“I have a lot of older clientele, and they definitely like it. In fact, I had someone come through the drive-through yesterday, and they thanked me for being a no-smoking restaurant. I’ve never been smoker so it’s not an issue for me,” Patton said.

rich@sedaliademocrat.com