Customers desert smoke-free restaurant
By shakeroo
@shakeroo (3986)
Malaysia
January 20, 2008 10:34am CST
The first smoke free restaurant in China has been deserted and it seems to be boycotted by the Chinese.
The Chinese are the world's most enthusiastic smokers, with a growing market of more than 350 million, making it a magnet for cigarette companies and a focus of international health concerns.
The occupancy rate at Meizhou Dongpo, a chain serving the spicy fare of southwest Sichuan province, had dropped to "about 80 percent of that enjoyed by other restaurants across the street" after it banned smoking in October, the China Daily quoted its manager as saying.
Looks like the Chinese do not like the idea of banning smoking in public and it is strange that a government that have been enforcing many rules onto its people is unable to control smoking in public. What do you think?
Details: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/smoking_restaurant_dc;_ylt=AsawBypkYAYh16juwapklb7tiBIF
2 people like this
4 responses
@asawako48162 (3321)
• United States
16 Feb 08
it takes time. soon they will catch up to the rest of the world.
do you think the Americans or Canadians enjoyed being told that there was no smoking in certain area? NO the smokerf fought this tooth and nail..yet the ban is growing. Try to fly and smoke ..Hospitals and restarants and public places all ban this smoking.
Casinos have and they have lost revenue as Canada has started doing this and the US has not..altogether..if is going to happen but it will take a little longer.
if you must smoke..don't go in the public..or don't exhale
1 person likes this
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
16 Feb 08
the chinese will get use to it once there is no more rooms to smoke but outside just like here in the philippines when they started banning smoking inside public places, we were all in rage but now every smoker abides by it and i think it is doing me good because now i do not smoke inside the house.i go out to smoke.
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
20 Jan 08
It works when the whole city bans smoking in public places. We are smoke free for about a year is no one is losing customers because of it. They provide outside smoking areas at most bars and some restaurants. I really enjoy the smoke free environments. There are restaurants I wouldn't go to before that I do now.
I hope that it catches on everywhere. When we travel I forget there are places that still allow smoking and it surprises me when they ask "Smoking or non?" And when we were in Kentucky we didn't even get that choice!
Secondhand smoke really gets to me quickly, headache very quickly, sinus burning.
Since I doubt if I ever get to China, I hope for other people's sake they get with the smoke free environments.
1 person likes this
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
22 Jan 08
I think its great that the restaurant has banned smoking. I think as more do the same their business will pick back up. Places in our area are starting to ban smoking. Our hospital has a smoke free campus...people aren't even allowed to smoke in their cars. (which makes me wonder what all their smoking employees do) One of our more popular restaurants has gone smoke free also. As a non-smoker I'm glad that they are doing it. Smoke bothers my eyes and makes it hard for me to breath.
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