Smoking ban

The smoking ban which came into effect on 2^nd January has already hit bar and restaurant takings.

Just two weeks after the restrictions were introduced the president of the Restaurant Association, Juan Cabrera complained that this had been introduced during one of the worst periods in the history of the bar and restaurant sector.

He said that takings had already fallen between 30 – 50% and that in the future 30% of establishments were at risk.

The smoking club project is still being developed with separate entrances to the adjacent bar or restaurant with orders taken by microphone and drinks and dishes served by conveyor belt.

Well I don’t know about you but if I smoke and I go to a restaurant I would sit outside. However if I was being served by a conveyor belt then I think my attitude would be to not bother!

I do believe this world is going mad!

Although I have been a life-long smoker, I do try not to smoke where it would offend people. But once at an outside patio party someone came across and stated that I was not allowed to smoke in front of him. I promptly replied that they were not obliged to stand next to me and that they could stand elsewhere.

We smokers have rights also!!

I totally agree with you. I too am a smoker and my husband smokes cigars. We have always been considerate smokers but all these bans do nothing to stop us smoking. In fact they make it worse. Why should I be told what I can and can't do!

I will always keep away from non-smokers wherever possible whenever I smoke and prior to smoking bans in restaurants we never lit up a cigarette when someone nearby was eating.

How it will affect the economy for Spain I do not know. After all when you are out eating and drinking, if you are a smoker, you also want to smoke too. If I can sit outside on a patio then I have no problem with that - in fact I prefer to smoke outside. But just how it will work with the small bars and restaurants that have limited outside space I don't know.

Last year our friend who has one of those small bars when asked by us whether we could still smoke inside he pointed to one table tucked away in the corner near the kitchen area and said "of course, that is the non-smoking table". What he will do now we will see when we return in June.

As you say we have rights too, and we pay a vast amount of tax!