Ban on smoking in Va. restaurants passes key test

I’ve read a few of these comments, and I want to contribute some insight as former restaurant employee, someone who used to live in a smoke free state, and as a former smoker. This should be viewed as a boon to restaurant owners. The fear in the past was that if you went non smoking you would lose regular customers, but with a state wide mandate against smoking in restaurants, patrons who smoke will have little, and potential patrons who avoided certain places because of the smokiness could potentially become regulars. Regulars are where your money is.

As far as smokers complaining that now they have to go outside to smoke, I can tell you from experience that it is not that big of an big imposition, and can also say without question that it can enhance the social aspect of nightlife. I met more people standing outside smoking at bars and restaurants than I did inside. Potentially if you are a smoker you don’t care about the social aspect, but you can be as anti social or business oriented about your smoking outdoors, and you will get used to it to the point where it is second nature.

I’ve seen this argument that the government shouldn’t be able to tell business owners what they can and can’t do in their establishments, and how unfair this new imposition is. I can say unequivocally that this logic does not hold water. All businesses have to comply with government regulations and restaurants are no exception. There are regulations on the kind of food you can sell, meaning you can’t sell non FDA inspected goods. There are liquor laws that prevent bars from selling moonshine, or selling alcohol to underage drinkers. There are regulations on how many people you can have in a bar. There are copyright regulations that prevent competition from opening a restaurant across the street with the same name. There are regulations on the hours that you can sell booze etc…etc… Some of these regulations are implemented to protect owners, some for the public good, some I don’t agree with, but the point is that the government is already regulating what businesses do, and that this really isn’t that much of an imposition.

From a personal side as former smoker, and as a restaurant person who likes to go out, smokers have no idea how they are affecting non smokers. I say that because I had no idea until I quit how horrible second hand smoke is. I’m not trying to tell anybody what they can and can’t put in their body, but I don’t want to inhale carbon monoxide if I can help it, and I didn’t realize how bad second hand smoke was until I quit.

Finally on a side note glen allen your argument of seperating restaurants from bars is moot in Virginia. In order to serve alcohol you must serve food. It’s a policy I don’t agree with, but it is the law.

the 70% people are throwing around include all of the many fast-food locations. There are less than a hand full of smoke free resturant chains in Richmond.
ABC rules requiring the serving of food with alcohol in VA have blurred the line between Bars and Resturants.
VA needs to clarify the differences between Bars and Resturants. Bars should allow smoking to those who wish to slowly kill themselves and their family. Resturant-Bar Hybrids should be smoke-free until 7:00 pm. Resturants should be completely smoke-free. I wish more resturants would have the balls to voluntarily go smoke-free.
I dont see how you can complain that we shold not regulate businesses when we already prohibit smoking in other businesses (offices & public buildings).

Oh, and Richmond-USA, you forgot to use the time-honored argument of “if it saves just one life, isn’t it worth it?“ or let’s not forget the “if it was your child in that restaurant, would you want a smoker next to you?“ Those are both well worn comments that appeal to emotion rather than logical discussion, which is what you resorted to. Great, now you have brought me down to your level and I’ve had to resort to sarcasm.

katzenjammer, you’re the one who said ALL lung cancer afflicting those that never smoked, or lived with a smoker, is caused by second hand smoke.

duh.

yea LARRY,,i did,nt mention any of that other stuff cause like CLINTON,,i never inhaled !or had ...;i do admit to eating PIZZA !,anyway people in big cities like nyc/la are 3 x more likely to have lung problems,,and it aint cigs,,its just plain dusty dirty city air,,and places like N.C. have a higher rate of lung problems and ,,and thats all the coal burning elec plants,,and more people have cancer from breathing dust from gravel pits and uranium mining,and more people die in central va. from cancer due to a higher rate of rayon gas,and back in the day of “leave it to beaver”,when 75 % of people smoke,all the drs. could say is that it was cigs that was giving woman breast cancer,,today with only 15% of woman smoking and breast cancer still at same rate as 40 yrs ago,,guess what it is,oh it runs in family,this i do know is that if you are born,,you will die,,so from birth til death,,just be happy !,if that is drink,drink;if thats cigs then smoke,if it las vagas clinton stuff,then smile,just as long as it dosent bother thou neighbor !