Smoking is Gone in Tennessee Restaurants Today

The Non-Smoker Protection Act, signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen in June, prohibits smoking in such public areas as malls, sports stadiums and restaurants.

“I don’t see ourselves losing business,” said Eddie McCrary, assistant general manager at Big River Grille & Brewing Works downtown on Broadway. “If anything, most people, especially our employees, were happy about it.”

While non-smokers may celebrate the legislation, some restaurant owners and smokers say they’re both confused and irritated by the new restrictions.

“It’s an obstruction of people’s rights,” said Anita McKenna as she tapped out a cigarette at the Gerst Haus on Woodland Street Sunday afternoon.

McKenna says she began smoking about four years ago to deal with pain from an operation. Her husband Larry stopped smoking more than 30 years ago, but said he didn’t agree with the ban.

“I stopped (smoking) because of the dangers, but I don’t think we should make smokers feel like second-class citizens,” Larry said.

Boyd Barbee, general manager at Gerst Haus, admitted that some smokers might initially leave, but he expects them eventually to come back.

“I can go through a three-hour dinner and smoke afterward,” said Barbee, a self-described smoker.

At Big River Grille and Gerst Haus, smokers can still take a puff on the outdoor patios, which are not included in the ban.


Read the full article in the Tennessean newspaper.

William Gerst, Gerst Haus and the Nashville Brewing Industry

Here is a book that celebrates the life and business of William Gerst through words and pictures.

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Known for country music, antebellum homes, the Parthenon, and Civil War battlefields, Nashville also has a rich brewing history that spans 100 years. Several breweries were established in the late 1800s, but the William Gerst Brewing Company alone endured into the 20th century and even survived Prohibition. Once one of the largest breweries in the South, Gerst brewed its last batch in 1954, leaving Nashvillians unable to enjoy locally brewed beer until the dawn of the recent microbrewery revolution. Nashville Brewing offers readers a pictorial account of the William Gerst Brewing Company--an important but almost forgotten part of Nashville history.

Scott R. Mertie has been interested in the brewing industry since he started collecting beer cans as a six-year-old. As he became older, Scott expanded his hobby to include brewery advertising and home-brewing. Upon moving to Nashville in 1992, Scott visited the Gerst Haus restaurant and noticed vast amounts of breweriana displayed on the walls that once promoted the restaurant's namesake a century earlier. This started his fascination with the William Gerst Brewing Company and the brewing history of Nashville.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.

Nashville Brewing is now available in area book stores.
Signed copies can also be purchased directly from the author.
E-mail gerst@gerstbeer.com for more information.