By PAIGE WASSEL, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
Say goodbye to Don and Dona's Restaurant.
If you want to enjoy a cheeseburger or cup of coffee at the downtown Franklin landmark, you now must become a member or guest of the social D & D Club.
A smoking ban took effect in Franklin on Tuesday, and 500 people have signed up as members of the dining club, paying an optional $1 membership fee.
Owner Mary Barnaby said the restaurant is not skirting the new ban by becoming a private club.
Instead, she is making the changes to her business to allow it to stay competitive with other eateries and stay in compliance with the new smoking rules.
She pointed out that in original discussions about the smoking ordinance her husband asked that, if the council saw it necessary to pass a ban, it make the ban uniform and prohibit smoking everywhere. By allowing exemptions for bars and private clubs, it made it difficult for restaurants that allowed smoking to compete, Barnaby said.
Don and Dona's has filed paperwork and is now operating as a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, a designation used for civic leagues and social welfare organizations. They are still awaiting an official letter from the Internal Revenue Service to make their new status official, she said.
With the new designation comes much education for customers, Barnaby said.
On Tuesday, Barnaby went around to customers in the restaurant and explained the new policy at the downtown eatery and asked people to join as members and fill out membership cards.
"The mood has been pretty upbeat," Barnaby said. "(Customers) are glad we've found a way to still make it with the competition."
Money made by the organization will first help to pay employees and maintain the historical building where the D & D Club is located, Barnaby said. If they earn extra money, they've talked about giving it to area nonprofits such as the Johnson County Community Foundation and Discover Downtown Franklin. The club's purpose is to provide a place where people can discuss constitutional freedoms and free enterprise, according to the August newsletter.
Barnaby said that, based on talks she's had with customers on Tuesday, she feels like it is meeting this goal.
They've added copies of the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution and works of colonial leader Thomas Paine at the front of the restaurant. Owners plan to post quotations from the nation's forefathers around the restaurant, she said.
"It's been very enjoyable, the discussions going around," Barnaby said.