Smoking in Restaurants. Your preference?

[Jennasis]

Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a pool.

HAHAHAHAa...

Living in NC, finding a restaurant that doesn't have a smoking section can be tough, but lots of places are going smoke free here. I generally avoid places that allow it.

Actually, we went to the movies last night and a guy sat behind me and REEKED of stale smoke so bad that we moved to another area of the theatre. So even in non-smoking places, you can still get hit by the "after-math". however, to answer the OP, my preference is no smoking.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I do NOT eat in restaurants that allow smoking, and now that Minnesota has gone smoke free, I don't have to!!

 

[sunlver]

UGH... I hate to smell smoke when I go out to eat. I think its totally discusting...sorry to all your smokers. Unfortunately here in VA they are still allowed to smoke , we are in Va beach, you can smoke in the restaurants. The next town over is going all non smoking March of 2008(I think, cant remember the exact date). I cant wait for Va Beach restaurants to go non smoking...I have 3 kids. We ALWAYS sit in non smoking, even if I didnt have kids, I would never sit there. It bothers me a bit when the hostess will see me with my kids and ask "Smoking or non?"....UGH...NON of course, do you think I want to poisin my kids in the smoking section.. No I dont say that, but that is what I think.I feel so bad for those kids who are made to sit in the smoking section of restaurants, it is so gross to eat and smoke at the same time.

 

[ckay87]

I'm a little confused by the people who "would never" eat in a restaraunt that allows smoking. The total smoking ban is a fairly recent thing (or maybe I'm just old????) What did you do before that? You can't tell me you didn't eat out?

I'll admit, I honestly don't care one way or the other. In fact, I like the idea of business owners making their own rules with respect to this.

And though I don't mind the smell of smoke, walking around the streets of New York City, that wonderful "non-smoking" city (big quotes there), I do choke because all the smokers are out on the streets. Why not just give them some bars and restaraunts to go to?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Non-smoking only for me.

My city went smoke free in all restaurants a while back. I cheered when they finally passed that law. Unfortunately, they can still smoke in all bars and restaurants that serve adults only.
I do not frequent these places at all.

 

[daisax]

I'm a little confused by the people who "would never" eat in a restaraunt that allows smoking. The total smoking ban is a fairly recent thing (or maybe I'm just old????) What did you do before that? You can't tell me you didn't eat out?

Speaking for myself, I never smoked. I guess I was somewhat used to it in the public arena. While it bothered me to have somebody smoking right beside me, smoking merely within the same restaurant mostly annoyed me after the fact when I'd get home, remove my clothes and have to put them somewhere where I couldn't smell them. And the smell of old smoke on my (nonsmoker's) hair on my pillow when I went to bed was pretty off-putting.

Once my place of employment became nonsmoking, and then all restaurants became non-smoking, I simply wasn't around it any more (my closest friends/family don't smoke, and I didn't go to bars/nightclubs) and so when I was, suddenly it was FAR more obnoxious than it had been before.

You can get used to any noxious odor with persistent exposure, but once you get used to fresh air, it's hard to go back!

 

[Kath2003]

I never smoked, but I can tell you that since the smoking ban came in, I eat out at least twice as often as before. Previously I used to frequent only restaurants which were entirely non-smoking, but now I don't have to make that distinction, so there are more restaurants to choose between, hence my increased eating out. I'm not old enough to remember when there wasn't that option.

 

[NewJersey]

I wish every state and city was smoke free.

 

[singingpixie]

I definitely prefer non-smoking, but I can't say I'd avoid a restaurant if it had a smoking section. I went to a bar in Rochester over Thanksgiving, and enjoyed it much more than the bars in Virginia, because I didn't come home smelling like an ash tray!

 

[arminnie]

Once my place of employment became nonsmoking, and then all restaurants became non-smoking, I simply wasn't around it any more (my closest friends/family don't smoke, and I didn't go to bars/nightclubs) and so when I was, suddenly it was FAR more obnoxious than it had been before.

You can get used to any noxious odor with persistent exposure, but once you get used to fresh air, it's hard to go back!

My mother smoked, I had roommates who smoked, people smoked everywhere when I was young - even in movies! I remember a pulmonary doctor who walked into the exam room with a cigarette.

I never paid any attention to smoke back then because it was everywhere. Now the least little bit bothers me.

I've never smoked, but I have permanent lung damage for being exposed to all of that smoke.

 

[4greatboys]

I prefer non smoking.

 

[sweetandsassyfl]

They don't allow smoking in any establishment that gets over a certain percentage of its receipts from food in Florida. I like it that way.