Photo by Eric of Absurdity used under a Creative Commons license
Until recently, the only thing that separated the smoking tables from the non-smoking tables at a restaurant was a sign similar to the one above. (And if you wanted to smoke, the waiter would probably move the sign to a different table.) But a new law went into effect as of January 1st that requires most restaurants and cafes to provide different rooms for smokers and non-smokers or for the whole restaurant to become smoke free. I had read that the law wouldn't make much difference -- there are too many loopholes and no one to enforce it -- so I was quite surprised to find that my two favorite cafes are now smoke free!
While many people (like me!) enjoy the smoke-free environment, not everyone seems to appreciate it. I noticed both cafes were much slower than normal. The waiter at one cafe told me that some of the regulars who had been stopping by for coffee twice daily for the past 30 years no longer visit. (And this cafe actually has a smoking room! The customers just don't want to go upstairs.) I think I've convinced Brian that we need to make more frequent visits to help make up for the cafe's lost income. :)
3 comments:
I love smoke free! All public indoor areas in New York are smoke free and it is wonderful. However, when you walk outside you are usually greated by a rush of second hand smoke...
I wish there were more smoke free places around here. After a second trip to one of the cafes, I've determined it may not be smoke free after all. There's a sign on the door that appears to be a "smoking ok" sign, but it's usually full of smoke and I didn't see anyone smoking, so I can't figure it out!
My other half smokes and if more places would do this I might just get him to stop. Zurich is still a smoker's paradise, but I couldn't agree more - smoke-free rocks!
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