It had to happen sometime: three of Sisters' popular dining and drinking establishments are going "Smoke-Free."

Bronco Billy's, Coyote Creek Café and The Gallery have all announced they'll be making the change on Mother's Day, May 11 - over seven months before required to do so by Oregon law.

On January 1, 2009, the "Oregon Smokefree Workplace Law" will expand to include "bars, bar areas of restaurants, bingo halls, bowling alleys, employee break rooms and at least 75 percent of hotel/motel sleeping rooms."

Gretchen Stroup, of the Gallery, told The Nugget that a "couple of months ago" she was considering the idea of coming into compliance with the law early.

"My idea was to do it on June 1," she said.

She floated the idea to the owners of Bronco Billy's and Coyote Creek Café, and it was agreed that they would all go smoke free at the same time, and that a good day to do it would be Mother's Day.

The consensus among owners, managers and employees of the three restaurants is that the change will be a positive one, both for the clientele and employees.

"We're all very excited about it," said Stroup. "Most of our employees are non-smokers and are looking forward to working in a smoke-free environment."    

John Keenan, long-time co-owner of Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon said, "I'm glad Gretchen came up with the idea" for adopting the changes early. "We (Bronco Billy's and Coyote Creek Café) were more than happy to get on board". "At this point, we can't use the bar for other (non-smoking) guests, and with the tourist season starting, it just makes good sense."

Kathy Brill, a night manager at Coyote Creek Café, mirrored those sentiments: "Our clientele is different now" than it has been in the past. "Nearly all" of their customers are very happy about the change and "it'll a big benefit for our staff as well."

Smoking demographics are changing rapidly in rural Oregon, as more people are drawn toward healthy, outdoor-oriented activities, and fewer people smoke in general.

Not many years ago, a drinking establishment that went smoke-free could expect an appreciable drop in business, and in a small community like Sisters, that would have had a major impact on the bottom line. The owners and managers of these three lounges expect the opposite to happen however, as people who have until now avoided patronizing "smoking" restaurants and bars reconsider them as places to enjoy an evening out.

One local resident told The Nugget that the first and last time she patronized The Gallery: "I sat down, ordered my meal, and then realized how bad the air was, even in the dining area. I had to cancel my dinner order and leave."

In general, the response this reporter has gotten from patrons, servers and management in the three restaurants has been almost universally positive (see the photo), with only one or two people against the change.

"But," said one, "It's gonna happen anyway, so what are you going to do?"

A (smoking) customer at Bronco Billy's told The Nugget: "It sucks... I guess these places like golfers more than they like contractors." The man sitting across from him said he thought the expansion of the law was "a good thing" - as he pulled a can of chewing tobacco out of his pocket...

Another patron at The Gallery told The Nugget: "The amazing thing to me is that these three competing owners got together to do this. I never thought I'd see that happen."