[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]As of July 1, bars and taverns across Madison will join the smoke-free environments of Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry and Crave Restaurant and Lounge with the enactment of the smoking ban, but downtown bar owners and managers are unsure how they will deal with the upcoming changes.

State Street Brats manager Nathan Quella said the bar has not yet discussed the logistics of the smoking ban.

“We have the outdoor garden, so it’s not going to be as big of a problem for us as to other places,” Quella said, adding he is not sure how the managers will handle smokers after 1 a.m., when the outdoor patio closes.

Quella said the outdoor garden might attract more business, since smokers would not have to wait in line to reenter a bar if they smoked on a conjoining patio. But the State Street Brats outdoor garden capacity is limited to 100 people.

“If we are at capacity, then they will have to wait in line, so it could be a double-edged sword,” Quella added.

Similarly, Plaza owner Dean Hetue said he and his employees have discussed the smoking ban for weeks but do not have a plan.

“I’m nervous about it, and I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” Hetue said.

Hetue added there might be problems when students come back for the fall semester and are unsure of the new ordinance. Students may not be aware of the new law, since it will take effect when many students are out of town.

Unlike many establishments, Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry has been smoke-free since it opened in 2003 due to a stipulation of its liquor license, according to bar manager Wendy Phifer. After a few months, it became a selling point, she said.

“It was not our choice,” Phifer said. “I think it hurt us in the beginning, but now people are used to it and we draw a crowd in because it’s non-smoking. Our clientele appreciates it.”

After the smoking ban is enacted in July, non-smoking clients will be able to go to any other bar for a similar environment, Phifer added. State Street is going to be “a mess,” Phifer said, due to the large number of smokers who will be sent outside.

Like Dotty’s, Crave Restaurant and Lounge is smoke-free and, according to bar manager Preston Hall, approximately one out of every 50 people who enters the restaurant leaves because he or she cannot smoke inside.

“It was the owner’s decision,” Hall said. “We aren’t aiming for that kind of clientele.”

Hall said he foresees many problems surrounding the smoking ban and believes it may “promote intense bar-hopping.”

State Street construction

While bar environments are changing, State Street will also be evolving with new businesses and construction projects in the upcoming future.

“There are a lot of changes,” Overture Center publicist Tina Frailey said. “The downtown is certainly becoming revitalized.”

According to Greta Olson, Ambassador Program coordinator for the business-improvement district of Downtown Madison, Inc., there are a handful of new businesses opening in Madison over the summer.

“Things usually happen pretty fast, especially now that it’s spring,” Olson said. “People want to be in their [new] locations for the farmers’ market and other events coming up.”

Madison will now have a taste of Milwaukee’s Real Chili restaurant as the renovations are completed in the old Big Mike’s location on the corner of North Broom and Gilman streets. The restaurant offers chili concoctions, including spaghetti noodles topped with beans, chili and cheese.

Business turnover on State Street is a “big thing,” Olson said, adding there are always stores opening and closing in the district.

An antique store is scheduled to open on the Capitol Square this summer, she added, which is “a new idea” for the area.

Ian’s Pizza will open a second location at 115 State St., formerly Peacemeal Vegetarian Restaurant, in July, Olson added. The restaurant will be smaller but will offer the same amount of food and possibly a salad bar.

Ready for the warmer weather, Ben & Jerry’s will open at 224 State St. by mid-summer in The Art Mart, Inc.’s old location, Olson said, adding Ben & Jerry’s started remodeling the store this week. Ice cream, fruit smoothies and coffee drinks are on the “scoop shop’s” menu, according to a release.

Also on the 200 block, the second phase of the Overture Center construction will continue this summer with the Capitol Theater opening Nov. 4, Frailey said. In mid-June, the construction will make way for the city’s State Street design project, which includes new bus stops, lampposts and bike racks.

“It’s a mild inconvenience, but once we get through it, it will be worth it,” Frailey said, adding when all of the projects on State Street are completed, “it will drive a lot of traffic to the downtown area and it will only help business.”