BY LAURA OLSON AND MATT PRESSER With Evanston’s smoking ban slated to take effect at local restaurants and bars July 1, most owners say they aren’t sure the new rule will affect business.

But at least one Evanston bar owner said he worries some of his profits might go up in smoke.

Paul White, co-owner of Prairie Moon, 1502 Sherman Ave., said he thinks sales will be affected but doesn’t yet know to what extent.

“Smoking goes hand in hand with drinking,” he said. “It’s naive to think there will be no impact.”

The Evanston City Council banned smoking in workplaces and in common areas of apartment buildings in June 2004, but a vote last month extended the ban to include bars and restaurants.

The ban passed during the April 24 council meeting by a vote of 8-1. Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th), who voted against the bill, said he feared the negative economic impact on local businesses.

No bar owners spoke out against the bill at the April meeting.

White said he feels that by including bars and restaurants in the smoking ban, the council is butting into an area they shouldn’t legislate.

“I think the City Council overreached in trying to accommodate a public health issue, and I don’t think that restaurants are the place to address that issue,” he said. “When I see smoking banned in public places in Evanston, like parks, beaches … that’s when I will know that the city is looking at a public health issue.”

Other restaurant and bar employees around Evanston said they weren’t concerned about the potential impact.

Mark Raymo, one of the managers at Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe, 1701 Maple Ave., said it is too early to know if the ban will be an issue.

“We’re curious to see how it will affect our business,” Raymo said. “A lot of the our business on the weekends, a lot of our bar business, is people who like to smoke. It’s true that when people smoke, they tend to hang out more, eat more, tip more.”

Some Wolfgang Puck servers said they support the ban, even though many of the restaurant’s servers are smokers themselves.

Ricky Moore, a bartender at The Rhythm Room Bar and Bistro at Century 12 Theatre, 1715 Maple Ave., said the bar’s customers haven’t been upset by the ban.

“There are a few people who are hardcore and will make some noise, but that always goes away,” Moore said. “It’s going to give the bar a more open, breathable feel.”

Moore said his bar has few problems with smoke control.

“It’s pretty well-circulated,” Moore said. “It never gets too smoky in here, but I’m sure some of the smaller dive bars get pretty bad.”

White said his customers at Prairie Moon will ultimately dictate how strongly the ban will impact his business.

“There’s not a whole lot I can do about it,” said White, “except deal with it, unfortunately.”

Reach Laura Olson at [email protected] and Matt Presser at [email protected].