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At hookah lounges, will business go up in smoke?
Area hookah lounges are bracing for the possibility that business may be snuffed out when a statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars goes into effect Dec. 1.“Most of my business is the hookahs,” said Sam Ayesh, owner of Alf Laylah Wa Laylah, located just across the county border in Chantilly. “I'm stressed out about this. I won't be able to survive.”
Especially prevalent in cafes in the Middle East, hookahs are tall and sometimes ornate water pipes often used for smoking “shisha,” a flavored tobacco.
The pipes became popular in some Northern Virginia cafes and restaurants as the region became more diverse.
However, this winter, Virginia lawmakers passed legislation banning smoking in public restaurants and bars if special accommodations are not made. In other states that passed similar legislation, exceptions were made for businesses that rely heavily on hookahs. Such was not the case in Virginia, though.
“This is a public health issue,” said Gordon Hickey, a spokesman for Gov. Tim Kaine (D). Hickey said an exception for hookahs was considered but not included in the law. “We want to limit secondhand smoke.”
Like other restaurants, Hickey said, hookah businesses can continue to allow smoking if it’s done in a separate, ventilated room. Such a change can involve costly renovations.
“I'm in shock,” said an owner of a restaurant in Fairfax County that offers hookahs. The owner, who wasn't aware of the new law, did not want his name or business mentioned. “Yes, this is going to hurt business. ... How can they do this to small businesses? We create jobs.”
In Loudoun, two popular spots for smoking hookahs are both in the CountrySide section of Sterling: The Shisha Lounge and Zaaza. The owners could not be reached for comment.
With his dining crowd dwindling, Ayesh said hookahs bring in roughly 70 percent of his business. Many of his customers are local college students.
He says his place is too small to add a separate room for smoking. To remain open, he may allow smoking after Dec. 1, and simply pay the $25 fine for each offense he is cited for.
Otherwise, “I don't know how I can stay open,” he said.
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
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