if I own a restraunt shouldnt I be allowed to have a smoking section since its my investment?

Answer 1

Yes,even if second hand smoke has health risks (which there is no definitive truth) to others if you choose to have a smoking area in your restaurant. If your whether your patrons like it or not there will always be the place down the street they can eat at. Therefore their freedom of their pursuit of happiness is not being violated.

Between non smoking public buildings and property,seat-belts, motorcycle helmets, building permits, fishing licenses, states saying you can't register a vehicle if it has an ounce of rust on it, even bicycle helmets for kids this is not the freedom I grew up with as a child. The land of the free is now the land of regulated freedom.

Answer 2

That is what I have always said. If it were up to the individual owners, we could have both smoking and non-smoking restaurants and bars. I live in Delaware, the first state to go completely smoke free. You can't even smoke in bars here! However, bars where most of the people are locals and they smoke often allow it anyway. They have every right and if EVERYONE in the bar smokes, what's the problem??? Now, as to people being concerned about the workers.... um.....if you don't smoke, you can get a job in a non-smoking establishment. This is America and we should by all means have the freedom to choose what we do and what we don't. If you do want to open your own restaurant, it would have to be considered a "private club" in order for you to allow smoking. I'm not sure where you are, but in my state, that's how the law is written. For example, the minute our last customer leaves the restaurant where I work, we lock the doors and we all light up. From the minute the lights go out, we are a private establishment and EVERY SINGLE person who works there, smokes.

You know when Delaware enacted it's smoking ban 4 years ago, I was at the forefront of the fight against it. I wrote letters to everyone I could, but we obviously lost that fight. It's not always "good being first" (our state moto!!!)

Answer 3

YES! I don't think there should be smoking bans put in place on restaurants. They banned smoking in public buildings, and that's fine; it's EVERYONE'S tax money that pays for those places. They banned smoking in most hospitals, and that's fine too; there's equipment there that can't have cigarette smoke anywhere in the vicinity.

I do understand WHY "they" want smoking banned in restaurants and bars also, but why is it so impossible to compromise? I think that it should be up to each individual restaurant owner whether they want to allow smoking or not. HOWEVER. Some of these restaurants might as well not even have a non-smoking section, because their ventilation is so poor. Because of this, I think that restaurants should ONLY be allowed to have a smoking section if it's completely separate from the non-smoking section, and ONLY if their ventilation is such that the smoke doesn't drift into the non-smoking section. If the restaurant owners cannot do those things, they should be forced to become non-smoking restaurants, or close down.
Bars, on the other hand, should have NO restrictions whatsoever. Most people who go to bars either smoke themselves, or don't mind that others do.

And by the way, I am a smoker.

Answer 4

Yes you should. There are dozens of other places that someone can go eat and not have to smell the god awful smoke that they hate so much. You have the same types of selection as if you were watching TV or listening to the radio. If you don't like it, don't go there, don't watch it, don't listen to it, don't buy that product. Welcome to capitalism.

I can handle not smoking in a resturant (even though the problem could be easily solved with better ventalation, or seperate rooms for smokers). But what I am having a hard time understanding is how people can say you shouldn't be allowed to smoke on a public street, or in your car, or in your home, or the one that really gets me, you shouldn't smoke in a bar.

An earlier poster mentioned "them telling you that you cannot smoke in your own home." Sadly enough, this is a reality in some places.

You know what appalls me? Folks are worried more about someone smoking then some drunk who gets behind the wheel of a car and crashes killing 3 people, or the drunk guy who goes home and beats the **** out of his wife and kids, or the drunk guy who goes out cheats on his wife and destroys his entire family life because of it. But they are right I guess...smoking is way worse then anything else some drunk guy could do. God forbid we do something about folks who drink though, that would be wrong. Why aren't they overtaxing alcohol?

I can guarantee you that no one has ever smoked a cigarette then went home and did any of the things above because of it.

Is smoking a disgusting habit? Yes. I smoke and I know I should quit. But guess what, drinking is also a disgusting habit. When is everyone going to jump on that bandwagon?

Answer 5

My state is going smoke free. I don't smoke but I do think that a well ventilated, would be fine but but there are employees who don't smoke and don't want to wait on them.That can be a problem, You would have to hire other smokers to wait on them.
I am a non smoker and I have had my breath taken away,by second hand smoke and as a child back in the 1950's I couldn't say anything. I had an Aunt who passed away with smokers cancer and she never smoked a day in her life! My cousins did.Her sons they smoked around their Mom.It was their smoke that killed her.
They are saying no smoking any where near the building out side . Some places don't even want people to go to their car and smoke on their property.As I said, I am a non smoker and I think this is going to far.They can roll up the car windows to smoke. As far as bars go I don't drink either but I know that drinking & smoking go hand in hand so a room that is well ventalated and an employee who doesn't mind the smoke to wait on them? Well , why not?

Answer 6

Well I don't smoke and I quit a job because I refuse to work in the smokers section. But if you had a door that would close and you had venation in the room, and you didn't force a non smoking employee to go in there I don't see why you shouldn't be able to have a smoking section.

Answer 7

You still can in NC, our Legislature just rejected a Law banning Smoking in Restraints. Since I've been Smoke Free for over 10 Years, I have mixed feelings on how to answer your question.

The Wifekins and I've been in Restaurants with Smoking/Nonsmoking sections, but Smoke always seems to drift with in range of her nose, on that bases, I'd say no. But as you say, it is your establishment, ans the Government needs to stay out of how we run our businesses.
Be Blessed in Christ Jesus !
Minister

Answer 8

Of course you should,that is if America still valued private property rights. However based on decisions like smoking bans in such places,and let us not forget the outrageous Kelo court case in New London CT,it is abundantly clear that our govt places less emphasis on private property rights every day. It is a very sad state of affairs when people are forced to relinquish control over their own property to please some misguided idea like a smoking ban,if people don't like that you have a smoking area then they need not come to your place of business,and it should be up to you based on what is best for the business whether to keep smoking areas or go smoke free.

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Answer 9

Yes. It should be totally up to you as to whether you have a smoking section or not. This is government over-stepping it's bounds to be interferring with a private business in this way. I really don't see how such laws hold up. It makes me sad to see the direction this country is going in now.

Answer 10

Absolutely...and this is why it isn;t always a good idea to leave it up to a vote at the state level...some argue that abortion should be left up to the state level, but I think the same thing would happen...the rights of many would be removed. Rights should not be voted on by majority rule. Same thing goes with gay marriage. But that isn;'t the real world, and we are not truly free in this country..as long as the morally superior make the rules.