Hookah lounges drop food items - Smoking ban orders changes if businesses want to offer smoking

At least three Columbus hookah lounges will remove healthful foods from their menus to comply with the statewide smoking ban, which takes effect Dec. 7.

Issue 5, which voters approved on Nov. 7, permits smoking in businesses where tobacco sales are at least 80 percent of gross revenues.

That means that the Shisha Lounge in the University District, and others that offer Middle Eastern-style water pipes and tobacco, will remove nutritional juices, fresh meats and sandwiches.

The three-year-old shop's tobacco sales complied with Columbus' smok- ing ban, which allowed smoking as long as tobacco sales accounted for at least 65 percent of revenues.

A cooler of Naked brand juices, which contain exotic fruits, vegetables and vitamin supplements, will be removed, said owner Aaron Johnston.

"We're going to actually start selling more tobacco this way," he said, "to make sure we're over the new limit."

"We don't want to do it. But we will do it. We will comply."

David Kushner lives near Shisha and visits regularly.

He enjoys the company of friends, and the variety of fare, including the juices.

"It's a great substitute for a meal," he said. "And if you're smoking a lot, it's good to get some food in you.

"It's quite disappointing," Kushner said of removing the juice cooler and other menu items. "It changes the atmosphere of the whole place. It's less of a place where you can hang out."

Closer to Downtown, at Gypsy Cafe, manager Mohamed Cheik already has removed turkey and roast beef from the menu.

The year-old hookah bar's tobacco sales were hovering around 75 percent. By removing the popular wraps, subs and chicken, tobacco sales should easily top 80 percent, Cheik said.

"They come in here for the hookah experience, to smoke and then leave," he said.

Health officials say the law was not intended to target any single business.

"We kind of focused on a law that would affect as many workers as possible," said Jane Moreau, health-promotions director for the Columbus Health Department. "It really wasn't designed to go after hookah bars."

She said businesses can comply with the law as they see fit.

"It comes back to how they decided to react to this. If that's what they're picking out, it's really their decision," she said of the menu changes.

In Athens, Ohio, the former Shishah Cafe decided to eliminate tobacco, which accounted for about a third of its sales.

The business, opened nine months ago, will be renamed Salaam, said co-owner Hilarie Burhans.

"We were an island of calm in the swirling alcohol-fueled insanity that raged around us at night," she said.

The pan-Arabian menu will focus on Turkish coffee, vegetarian fare and juices.

Moreau says hookah pipes are as dangerous as other tobacco products.