Pizza Hut is the UK's first nationwide restaurant chain to ban smoking in all its UK restaurants to protect staff and customers from passive smoking. "Pizza Hut strongly believes that families should be able to take time to have a leisurely meal in a restaurant without exposing their children to other people's smoke" says the company's operations director.
Deborah Arnott, director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said "This will be good news for customers and good news for business."
Do you agree with the decision by Pizza Hut? Should smoking be banned in all restaurants?
The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:
This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.
Your reaction:
< I have many friends who smoke, but none of them would be so inconsiderate as to light up in a restaurant. If they need a cigarette they go outside. Personally I think Pizza Hut will benefit from extra custom from those who enjoy a meal without being subjected to cigarette smoke.
Claire, South Wales
What about if you own a restaurant and you want it to be completely smoking? Would this be ok? After all, the non-smokers would have the choice of eating there or going to the Pizza Hut down the road. Surely this is fairer than saying all establishments must be smoke-free?
Gary, UK
 |  Ultimately, the smokers' addiction makes them selfish  |
As a smoker, I wish they would ban it. I hate being faced with the dilemma of smoking/non-smoking when out with my non-smoking partner. Ultimately, the smokers' addiction makes them selfish. The choice needs to be removed. I hate being so weak that I will rush a nice meal just to have a fag between courses.
Jacqueline, London, UK If the place is properly air conditioned, and has properly laid out "smoking" and "no smoking" areas, there is no need for this draconian ban. As a smoker, I respect other people's right not to breathe my smoke, but at the same time I resent the hypocrisy of the Government and of certain non-smokers in their constant efforts to ban and restrict smoking. If smoking was banned tomorrow, the resulting general taxation increase would make the eyes water far more than the odd bit of fag smoke.
Dan, UK
There's nothing like a cigarette after a nice hearty meal. However, I think that banning smoking in restaurants is a good thing. After all, health is wealth.
Ian Rotea, United Kingdom
How can you compare smoking to drinking? Yes, they are both bad for you, especially in excess. However, many medical reports suggest that small quantities of alcohol is not a bad thing, unlike nicotine, nor does my consumption of a couple of glasses of wine directly affect other people's health. I choose to drink those glasses of wine, but if you smoke near me, I will inevitably inhale some of that smoke. And if the 'sanctimonious' non-smokers are guilty of generalising, what about the smokers who are calling Pizza Hut's customers 'obese gluttons', isn't that a fairly sweeping, insulting statement? When you have to resort to insults, you have already lost the argument. Roll on the day when other establishments are brave enough to protect their customers and staff from the effects of this pernicious and addictive drug.
Alex, UK
| It's about time us non-smokers had the right not to smoke |
Congratulations Pizza Hut. At last somewhere I can go without being forced to smoke. I come off the train to London stinking of smoke, even though I am in a non-smoking carriage. I walk down the street breathing in the smoke that is blown across all pedestrians following all the smokers (have you ever tried to count the thousands of cigarette ends on the pavement). It's about time us non-smokers had the right not to smoke.
Jane, GB But cigarette smoke dulls the taste senses. Surely this is a good thing if you are going to eat in Pizza hut!
Wendy, UK
My wife and I both gave up smoking when our (then) four-year-old son complained of the smell in the car - that was twenty-seven years ago. Not only have we saved the current equivalent of ?100000, but find it absolutely astonishing that anyone would want to smoke - don't people realise how much they smell? No-one complained when the Tube became non-smoking - I hope eventually everywhere will be smoke free.
David, UK
I am fed up with all smokers being tarred with the same brush. We are NOT all selfish and inconsiderate towards others. But if you insist in making sweeping statements, all I can say is that the holier-than-thou, sanctimonious, patronising attitude of non-smokers makes me want to light up even more.
Claire , England
Market forces should indeed decide - I look forward to the day when a waiter successfully sues a restaurant for failing to provide a smoke free workplace. I'm sure that the fear of this is the main reason Pizza Hut have gone non-smoking.
Mick, UK
I know the risks and choose to take them and not subject others to my smoke. I do not appreciate being called filthy and disgusting as I am not, it seems that now it is the smokers turn to get it in the neck what next? Drinkers? Fat people?
Louise, England
| I'm quite happy for smokers to destroy their own lungs, I just object to their damaging mine and my family's |
My mother and brother are asthmatic and I'm sick to death of having our evenings out ruined by smokers nearby (on a few occasions cigarette smoke has caused a dash to hospital). It's not a moral judgement - I'm quite happy for smokers to destroy their own lungs, I just object to their damaging mine and my family's. Good on you Pizza Hut and may others soon follow suit!
Nicky, UK I am a social smoker, in that I smoke in pubs with a drink - it's part of the atmosphere. Occasionally I feel the urge to smoke after a meal, but I never do, because I know that it will spoil other people's enjoyment of their meal, just as it spoils mine when other people smoke while I am eating. It's a matter of social norms.
Katherine, UK
I was once in a bar in Australia which called itself as a restaurant to get a cheaper licence. By law this meant you weren't allowed to smoke inside. So they had a balcony a tenth the size of the dance floor where half of the people spent the night smoking. Inside the pub, they had a smoke machine to create the "atmosphere" they had lost from the real smoke. Madness. The non-smokers should have been the ones on the balcony.
Michael, UK
While people smoking at the next table does annoy me, badly behaved children and mobile phones annoy me far more!
Sam , UK
Yes, because families eat in restaurants too, with very young kids, I think it's disgusting when you are sitting there trying to enjoy your dinner when next to you there are people smoking, and you just feel sick. Especially babies, it's really dangerous.
Bekah, 13, UK
| Smokers pay lots of tax and if everyone stopped smoking, how much money would the government lose out? |
As a smoker, I have no problem going outside for a cigarette. However, I do have a problem with restaurant and pub owners serving alcohol to individuals who are seriously intoxicated. I guess it would affect their profits! How many people die from alcohol related diseases and how many innocent people die or suffer from the effects of a parent or partner's alcohol abuse? Of course, let's not forget that smokers and drinkers pay lots of tax to the government and if everyone stopped smoking, how much money would the government lose out on and where would the government recoup that money from?
Elaine, UK People who eat the junk food obviously aren't that concerned about their health anyway.
Lisa, UK
Smokers die young, and pretty quickly (a "short illness"). The smell is less offensive in restaurants than loud laughs, too much perfume, people loudly extolling the virtues of: a football team, a TV programme, and a host of other things. I'm an ex-smoker.
Steve, UK
This confuses me. People here are saying that they do not want there health effected by second hand smoke in Pizza hut and that it is unhealthy. Have these people never looked down to their plates and seen what they are putting into their mouths? All that oily fatty food is just as bad for you as sitting next to a smoker.
Adrian, UK
I hate having to breathe in cigarette smoke whilst trying to enjoy a meal and therefore I do not go to restaurants that don't have a totally non-smoking area. Now that Pizza Hut has banned smoking I will certainly make the effort to go to their restaurants in order to support their non smoking policy and I urge other people to do the same.
David, England
It should need to be banned, it should be common courtesy. Don't smoke when people are eating.
Gavin, Wales
| I am convinced that many other enterprises would follow the example |
Due to the ban against smoking in all its restaurants, Pizza Hut may lose a handful of customers. But it can win the support of the public. This positive policy benefits Pizza Hut's fame and reminds numerous consumers of their rights in restaurants. After Pizza Hut takes the initiative in banning smoking, I am convinced that many other enterprises would follow the example. When the smoke-free concept prevails, people will be able to enjoy their delicious food in the restaurants without annoying and baneful smoke.
Ko Wei-Li, Taiwn People are missing the point here. No-one mentioned banning smoking. The ban would only be in public buildings where the smoke can gather and cause health problems for fellow citizens who have chosen not to smoke, especially the workers who have to put up with it all day!
David, Canada
Never mind smokers - they should ban those hideous obese creatures that frequent fast food places. Not much evidence of healthy habits there - ban them. And we had better ban drinking in pubs while we're at it. It never seems to occur to the ban-it brigade that banning something usually makes the problem worse. Perhaps it's something in the water (better ban that too then!!)
Phil, UK
I love it when people make references to rights, and consistently forget to mention the other half of the equation - responsibility. I am totally against smoking in public places, and look forward to this move becoming common place.
Daniel Conway, UK
| Having recently spent time in the States, I just got used to it |
I am a smoker. And I enjoy smoking. And I especially enjoy smoking after a meal. But really, this ban is not a problem for me and people should realise that the world will not end. Having recently spent time in the states and not being able to light up after every course at dinner, I just got used to it. And after a while I stopped thinking about it. If you are forced into a situation, you just adapt. Please get a grip.
Helen, UK I have never smoked in my entire life and cigarette smoke does bother me in public places. I'm not sure whether an outright ban is necessary though - just better ventilation would do, especially in pubs where there is usually very little. Besides, if people are prevented from smoking where is all that extra tax money going to come from?!
Simon, London, UK
As a smoker I am glad that I will not have to watch others who do not smoke having to cope with the table next door who have four ultra-strong cigarettes going at the same time. Eating in a haze of cigarette smoke is extremely unpleasant. However this does not mean that we smokers have to suffer the moral judgements of others about our "filthy, disgusting" habit. Personally I am more concerned that our entire planet seems to be dying through the pursuit of commerce than I am about another person's choice of drug.
Robert, Oxford
| Air conditioning rarely helps eradicate the problem |
Yes, smoking should be banned totally in restaurants. There is nothing worse than sitting there with the smell of cigarettes ruining an evening. Air conditioning rarely helps eradicate the problem. Smoking is a disgusting habit, people who smoke are inconsiderate and arrogant, they do not care about the other people they affect. These people choose to smoke and I can't understand how they have the front to try and sue tobacco companies, it should be non-smokers who sue smokers for their total lack of respect for people.
Richard, England I don't expect to be able to have a cigarette in the middle of non-smoking diners around me, but a total ban I believe is over-the-top. I think the success will speak in Pizza Hut profits in a few months' time. A restaurant here in Newport was non-smoking and it closed down after a few months. OK, it wasn't part of a huge chain like Pizza Hut but I think this is an example of how smokers are not tolerant of being banished from public places, just as non-smokers are not tolerant of there being a smoking area in a restaurant. I certainly eaten my last Pizza at Pizza Hut. They could have put me in a corner to eat and smoke away from everyone, I wouldn't have cared, as long as I had the freedom to have a cigarette and drink after my meal.
Rachael Willavise, South Wales
Rachael Willavise, South Wales: I think the restaurant you mention must have had other problems. The Manor House in Newport has been going strong for a couple of years now, and it is also no smoking.
Tracey A, UK
I smoke, and I eat in non-smoking restaurants. Fair enough!! However, to those who deplore smoking I would just inform them that �1.6billion is spent on smoking diseases and the government receives �9.5 billion tax from smokers. Will non-smokers make up the difference if smoking is banned in the future?
Hugh Goddard, England
| Smokers seem not to realise how much they stink of tobacco |
Smokers seem not to realise how much they stink of tobacco. It's very strange to see people who obviously take a lot of trouble over their appearance smoking which makes them smell and ruins their complexions as well as causing problems for other people. It also looks so ridiculous but we are talking about addicts who cannot be expected to be rational.
Aoife, England As an ex-smoker, I know the enjoyment of smoking during /after a meal, but also that it's generally a selfish habit. I don't think that non-smokers should be inflicted with second-hand smoke, so a restaurant ban isn't all bad. However, a ban on smoking in the open air (in towns) seems to verge on the ridiculous.
AB, England
Let's not confuse people's rights with basic health. If people want to smoke - that's fine by me. If they want to ignore basic health warnings and continue the habit, again - as long as they're not affecting me, I've no problem with that. Where I do take issue, is when people are in my vicinity and light up a cigarette - if I'm sat at a dinner table, for example... I have to move whilst a smoker lights up that can cause me damage - that is not fair. and therefore, if restaurants and the like ban people from smoking on the premises than all the better - the simple answer is this - don't smoke in public - keep your mess in your own back yard. Can't a smoker enjoy a meal, then have a cigarette when they get home? Or is the addiction too strong?
Simon, UK
I think this is an unfair victory for all you clearly Mad anti-smokers. Get a grip of yourselves and relax a bit as you get up more peoples noses than the smoke does.
Alex B, England
| Life is short, why should we deny ourselves everything? |
I am a smoker in a smokers' country and think the UK has gone absolutely mad. Do they really think people are going to stop because of gigantic health warnings on fag packets? Here in Croatia you can smoke in almost all restaurants, and we have ashtrays on the streets. People have more important things to think about than whether someone else is having a fag. Personally, I intensely dislike mobile telephones, however they are inflicted on me wherever I go. As you know, New York restaurants have lost business because of the ban, also tolerant non-smokers, as they don't want to go somewhere where their mates can't go. I hope Pizza Hut do too. By the way, my aunt died of lung cancer without ever having had a fag in her life. Life is short, why should we deny ourselves everything?
Laura, Croatia I don't smoke myself, never have, however since having a family I have had to stop going to pubs and restaurants because the smoke brings on my kids asthma. If you want proof of passive smoking then witness a young kid struggling to breath. Smokers here seem to think they are being persecuted; well in that case my family has been for most of their young lives through no fault of their own. Some smokers have commented that business incomes will go down; I would hazard a guess profit should increase because people like myself would be able to go back and in addition the proprietors would be able to save additional money on cleaning, refurbishment, insurance, damage etc. Hey, maybe their clients would be able to taste their food.
Richard Philips, UK
Smoking should not be banned in all restaurants. Education and respect for other people is needed on both sides. Being a non-smoker I hate it when smokers take a puff and then turn to talk to me blowing all their smoke straight into my face. Why do I not notice it from all my smoking mates on a Friday and Saturday night? Because they respect me and my choice of not smoking and make the effort to keep it away from me. I don't harp on and they don't let the smoke blow in my face. Easy, really
Sue, England
Here we go again, nail the smokers to the wall. Life in a democracy is all about choice. Don't these people realize that the tax generated by tobacco sales, funds the NHS to treat all the obese gluttons who eat the garbage provided by Pizza Hut and the like.
Alan Higham, UK.
| I don't expect anyone to suddenly stop smoking just because I choose not to |
Until cars are banned you can't ban smoking. Most children suffer from asthma as a result of exhaust fumes not cigarette smoke, I am one of them. I'm now a pregnant non-smoker but I don't expect anyone to suddenly stop smoking just because I choose not to. I don't expect to go to a bar or restaurant without encountering cigarette smoke because any smoker will tell you that smoking goes hand in hand with food and alcohol when you smoke.
Jennifer, Netherlands, ex UK I think smoking should be banned in public. Smokers always talk about their freedom to smoke but what abut my freedom not to? Unless someone can explain how smoking is harmful but breathing in someone else's smoke is not. I know other things pollute the environment but every year emission controls on cars etc are being tightened, it should be the same for smoking? 50 years ago people could burn coal in London. I hope that in 50 years time smoking in public will sound as old fashioned to my children as the smogs sound to me!
david, england
I think that it's a wonderful idea and one that will spread rather quickly. I don't smoke any more but I never appreciated others lighting up while I was having a meal in a restaurant. What I find interesting is that restaurants and bars are called to be allowed to choose to be either completely smoke free or fully smoking. I believe it's because restaurant and bar owners want it all and would refuse to choose to cater to either smokers or non-smokers as clients. Therefore, the decision should be made across the board in favour of the health and well being of everyone, even smokers.
Linda, NJ, USA
In the UK, the main problem with public eating places is the food. I would have thought they'd want to encourage anything that would cover the smell of their 'food'.
Steve, UK
| Deep Pan Pizza (in Peterborough, at least) has been no smoking for a while now and a lot less boasty about it |
In my experience it seems that the minority of people smoke in pubs, bars, and restaurants. A few weeks ago I went into a pub and no one was smoking, it got to about 10pm and one person started smoking causing the whole place (and everyone's clothes) to stink. Should all the others in the pub be forced to wash their clothes every night because this one person smokes? Although I must point out that Deep Pan Pizza (in Peterborough, at least) has been no smoking for a while now and a lot less boasty about it
Chris, UK No doubt there was a similar uproar when smoking was banned in cinemas and on aeroplanes but people soon get used to it. With so many smokers saying they wish to give up, banning it in public places is an excellent way of helping them!
Sally Marshall, UK
What a contrary lot we are - we want to ban smoking in public places and yet are happy to promote legalising cannabis (usually smoked with tobacco). We want to stop smoking and are happy to drink ourselves into conditions where we can kill people with drink-driving or cause fights; we want to ban smoking and yet no one bothers about spitting in public which is probably a major reason for the rise in TB in this country. We want to ban 'foul' cigarette smoke and yet will drop litter, causing health hazards and a massive increase in the rat population.
What are our real priorities? Whilst I understand smoke in restaurants could be a nuisance to non smokers, we should be able to accommodate everyone's wishes and come up with a sensible solution. I am sure there is one.
Suzanne, UK
| We can't say something is legal to buy, but not legal to smoke anywhere |
I am a smoker, and whilst I agree strongly that people should be able enjoy a smoke free atmosphere if they so desire, I also feel that I should not be deprived of my enjoyment either. It is not difficult to cater for both groups. I recently travelled to California, where smoking is banned inside all public buildings - but each restaurant/bar/coffee shop provides an outdoor area for smokers. Now this would never work in the UK due to our climate, and so we need provide an alternative. Regardless of your feelings towards smoking, people must acknowledge that buying cigarettes is legal. To say that people can buy them, paying the money (the majority of which is tax on tobacco), and then to say they cannot be consumed in public seems a bit strange to me. We can't say something is legal to buy, but not legal to smoke anywhere, but we'll enjoy the tax revenue that is generated - in my opinion, that is selfish.
Nic, UK Well done, Pizza Hut. However, I think the ban should encompass pubs, shopping centres, bus & rail stations too. It isn't just during a meal that smoke is a nuisance.
Nomesky, UK
This is an excellent step forward and I look forward to more restaurants following Pizza Hut's example. I am sick and tired of smokers complaining about bans and suggesting separate areas, it doesn't work. The smoke has no knowledge of what is a non smoking area and will distribute randomly through the whole restaurant. Smokers also seem to think it is alright to walk through a non smoking area with a fag alight because they will only be there a few seconds or they seem to think if they smoke by an open window the smoke won't go into the room. The sooner we have a complete ban the better, why should we put up with the stench and the threat to our health.
Dave, UK
As the New York experience has shown restaurants will be losers once they ban smoking, their takings go down and they lose customers. Smokers are people too and they ought to be provided for, perhaps by means of separate air conditioned smoking areas like those used in US airport terminals. We live in an increasingly bullying nanny state and this is just a further manifestation of that.
Matt Davis, UK
| The staff of restaurants also have the right to work in a smoke free environment |
Overall I think the ban is justified. Smoke in restaurants doesn't trouble me much but we have to consider the majority view. The other point here is not just the customers of restaurants but also the staff. While it doesn't bother me either way to have smokers beside me while I eat I can imagine if I worked there all day and evening it would be a totally different issue - the staff of restaurants also have the right to work in a smoke free environment.
Tim, France I am a smoker, but hate it when other people are smoking whilst I am eating. I don't do it to other people and I expect other people not to do it to me. When ever I go for a meal with my partner, we always opt for the non-smoking section. If you can't go without a smoke for the duration of the meal then you have a problem. A big problem.
Toni, UK
Smoking is a dirty, selfish, disgusting habit. It can be tolerated only in private between consenting adults. Pizza Hut is doing the right thing. But public health is a government responsibility - one which is currently being evaded.
Rory Harden, UK
The introduction of non-smoking cinemas, enabled me to visit them again. Even the so-called segregated restaurants cannot stop the drift of obnoxious smoke. I am a non-smoker, brought up in a smoking household, whose father died from the effects of being a long term smoker. If smokers cannot last the time to eat a meal without smoking, then they have a serious problem - I presume these are the same people that will travel for hours on a non-smoking plane to go on holiday! As for the comparison with cars and other modes of transport - travel is essential to modern life and apart from in science fiction there is no alternative. As non-smokers have a choice whether to eat in a smoky restaurant or not (and often chose not), smokers will have the choice of whether to abstain from smoking for a short while whilst eating in a non-smoking restaurant on not.
Clive, England
Having just returned from Western Australia where there is a smoking ban in place where food is served the system works very well. People can enjoy their meals without being subjected to the haze and requirement to have to wash every item of clothing when they return home. Smokers, enjoy your habit, but don't inflict it upon the rest of us who like to breathe.
MB, UK
I applaud Pizza Hut for their decision. I lived in Singapore for 23 years, a country famed for what must be the most enlightened anti-smoking laws in the world and, as a non-smoker I had come to regard a smoke free environment as my absolute right. What an unpleasant surprise it was coming back to live in the UK with smoking still permitted in the vast majority of pubs, restaurants and offices. Smoking should be banned immediately in all establishments where food is served, or children are admitted.
Duncan Fisken, UK
I am waiting to read the forthcoming self-gratifying river of opinions posted by anti-smokers - "This selfish, disgusting habit..." ad nauseum. For heaven's sake lighten up. I hate to eat a good meal without a brandy and a cigarette to finish.
TB, UK
Just because self-centred people like "TB, UK" hates to eat a good meal without brandy and a cigarette to finish, doesn't mean the rest of us should have to inhale his choice of airborne poison. I never really ate in Pizza Hut much in the past, but I'm going to make an effort to in future. Well done Pizza Hut!
Steve, England
Since I would have to be forced at gunpoint into one of their establishments, I couldn't care less.
Johnny, London
| Companies are facing huge compensation claims from employees for passive smoking |
It won't be long before companies are facing huge compensation claims from employees for failing to protect them from the effects of passive smoking. This is enough for companies to take notice of this decision and follow suit to protect themselves. As an ex-smoker I know how selfish smokers can be in saying it's their 'right' to light up. It ceases to be a right when the person next to you could suffer as a consequence of your smoking.
Peter, England I don't see why smokers should be denied their pleasure, but smoking should be in a contained area. I have avoided one of my favourite local restaurants after a meal there left my eyes stinging from the smoke. Not only did they lose my normal order of dessert and coffee but they have had no business from me for the last two years.
John B, UK
I think restaurants should ban noisy children.
Tabitha, Oxfordshire
| I resent the fact that we are being treated like children |
This is more of the government trying to force their opinions on people. If I want to smoke I will. I resent the fact that we are being treated like children, it makes me MORE inclined to light up. One last thing, when I sit in restaurants and people walk past me with too much aftershave/perfume on it makes me feel ill. Can we ban them next?
Sonia, Wales Where's the argument? Nine out of ten lung cancers are directly related to smoking. It smells and is anti-social behaviour. Just think what the health service would save without this self-inflicted burden on society.
Terry Killeavy, England
Yes, smoking SHOULD be banned in restaurants to help get rid of attitudes like this example I saw recently. In a small restaurant with no non-smoking area, a couple with a young toddler sat enjoying a meal. One of a group of young girls at the next table lit up a cigarette - the smoke began to blow directly into the child's face. When the mother (politely) asked the girl to put out her cigarette for the sake of her child, the girl did so.
However, she then proceeded to moan in a voice that was audible to almost the entire restaurant - "Can you believe the cheek of that woman, asking me to put out my fag?" Maybe if so many smokers didn't have a consideration bypass, there would be no need for a ban.
A C, Scotland
Nicotine, a highly toxic alkaloid, C10, H14,N2, is an addictive poison! This product is marketed by drug dealers no different from those pushing cocaine and heroin. I had to quit a three-pack-a-day addiction which was ruinous to my health. No worker should have to inhale second-hand smoke in the workplace.
John Connolly, US
| Smokers have shot themselves in the foot by failing abysmally to show any consideration for others |
Smoking bans (as well as legislation and taxation) are the only chance we've got to cut down the smoking menace. Smokers have shot themselves in the foot by failing abysmally to show any consideration for others around them when they light up. The level of selfishness and utter disregard for non-smokers displayed by many smokers is mind-boggling. It is a waste of time trying to appeal to their better nature and asking them to refrain from polluting other people's air. Of course we will get the usual bleating from smokers bemoaning the attack on their 'liberties' and 'human rights', and smoking lobbies putting on their martyred saint appearance in front of the television cameras, but they only have themselves to blame.
Barry K, UK
Instead of blanket banning by the government, more bars and restaurants should make a commercial decision whether to ban smoking or not. It will be a clear cut decision of who their customers really are, and what their preferences dictate. Some restaurants may find that having no smoking will gain them customers, whereas pubs may find their customers disappearing. Market forces should be the deciding issue, not a nanny state imposition - witness the effectiveness of Prohibition in 1920s USA!
Caroline, UK
My home town enacted a partial smoking ban in restaurants, but it was unfair on establishments that did not have enough space for a no smoking section. They then passed a complete ban and, after much crying and moaning by restaurant owners, it has been a great success. I also spend four months a year in California, where you quite often need advance reservations to get into restaurants and they have been smoke free for several years now. I hope many more follow the Pizza Hut example.
Brian Mills, Canada
If someone smokes next to or near my table, I make a conscious effort to walk past their table and let out all gases generated during, or before my meal. I want to inhale your filthy gases as much as you want to inhale mine. All power to Pizza Hut and let's hope others follow!
Dave, UK
Interesting that the majority of comments are in favour of this ban and yet have no remark regarding the quality and standard of this fast food. Maybe the non-smokers should address their eating habits before condemning others. Maybe they are happy with junk food. Completely separate dining areas is the only fair way.
Richard, England
| Why is it smokers who regularly take criticism for polluting the air? |
Why is there such a stigma in this country associated with smoking? I am a smoker and while I accept it is bad for me, it is my decision and my right to smoke if I wish to. Why is it smokers who regularly take criticism for polluting the air when cars, power stations and industry in general are seriously threatening the health of us and our children?
Martin, UK To Martin UK - The old smokers' ploy to blame cars, power stations etc. Yes they are a health hazard but fortunately I'm not stuck in a 20' x 20' room with a car engine running. Separate areas don't work. What about the staff? Give them gas masks?
Adam, UK
Who would have thought such intolerance would have been so acceptable? I think it is comical that there is such a double standard.
Ewan, UK
| It's our right not to have to smell your stinking smoke |
Yes! It's that simple. People harp on about people's right to smoke; well it's our right not to have to smell your stinking smoke. I was in LA last year and smoking is banned in all public buildings, restaurants and night clubs. It was brilliant!
Jamie, UK I whole-heartedly support this! Unless a restaurant or bar can provide a truly non-smoking area in their premises (i.e. a separate room) then the non-smokers who go there should not have the smoke of others forced upon them. It damages our health, makes our clothes smell and reduces the pleasure of going out.
It is not enough to wait for companies like Pizza Hut, individual pubs and local restaurants to take action. They have too much to lose if they act alone. Legislation is required, or little will happen. Look at California and New York where these laws already exist. We have the right to a choice and at the moment that choice is denied to us.
Oliver, UK
No smoking should not be banned! However, I do agree that we need to be more aware of our surroundings and be courteous before we light up. Partitioned smoking areas or rooms and adequate ventilation could solve this problem.
Nicola, England
| Non-smoking sections seem as ridiculous as a no-peeing end of the swimming pool |
I would like to see smoking banned in restaurants and pubs although I don't see why there shouldn't be certain eating and drinking establishments which cater for smokers. My wife and I don't get out very often in the evenings as we have a small child but we love going to pubs and nightclubs when we get the chance. It would be great to enjoy these evenings without being polluted by second-hand smoke. As for non-smoking sections of restaurants - that seems as ridiculous as a no-peeing end of the swimming pool.
Kulu, UK A great idea. Why should people indulge in habits in public, let alone ones that smell bad and are harmful to others? If I sat in a restaurant indulging my habits by swigging from a bottle or picking my nose, I would pretty soon be asked to stop or otherwise leave the premises. If I went to a restaurant and lit a small fire beside my table, I would no doubt cause an uproar, not to mention a danger and a quantity of nasty smoke. So well done Pizza Hut. I've nothing against people wanting to smoke, but please do it at home!
Pablo, UK
| Smokers no longer seem to show any consideration |
Normally I am against this kind of blanket nanny state ban and would defend a smoker's right to a smoke as long as they showed consideration for those around them. However in recent experiences, smokers no longer seem to show any consideration and think nothing of lighting up next to you just as your food arrives, hence I welcome this ban and I am sue it is only a matter of time before most restaurants adopt it.
Sam, UK Sounds like another go at the freedom of individuals - this time, us smokers. Why I accept that there should be areas for non-smoking, I don't think a total ban is a good idea. Compromises should be considered. Maybe a small smoking lounge area instead?
Lee Bumstead, UK
This would definitely be a step in the right direction. Granted that smokers should be allowed to perform their slow and painful suicide, but not whilst endangering the health of other people. If someone out there really is looking at the human rights side of this ban, then perhaps they should read the rights on non-smokers first. Our health should come before theirs, no matter what inconvenience it causes!
Andy B, UK
I often feel the overwhelming urge to lean over and throttle the smoker at the next table when I'm just about to tuck into my meal and they light up. I pay good money to eat out and absolutely loathe the inconsiderate buffoons who ruin my meal by destroying the taste experience. How can anyone with half a brain still believe smoking isn't a health risk? I wholeheartedly support Pizza Hut and pray to all the gods that other restaurants will wake up and start considering the health of their patrons.
Jason Miles, England
Full marks to Pizza Hut - they've just assured themselves of a new customer. No amount of ventilation will get rid of the tobacco stench completely, so it's great that a fast food giant is prepared to take this step.
Pete, UK
| I would actively boycott any restaurant that introduced such a ban |
As a smoker who enjoys a cigarette, especially while dining, I would actively boycott any restaurant that introduced such a ban. Yes, I appreciate the health risks associated with smoking but except for extreme cases, have yet to see conclusive proof of the effects of passive smoking, especially when in this case the environment is modern airy and air conditioned. This is surely one instance where segregation is valid, non smokers do not wish to breath my filtered cigarette smoke and I do not want to listen to them whining about it.
Cameron, UK Aside from the well known detrimental health effects, smoking in public places is as blatant a violation of democratic principles as any. Anybody's rights should end where others' begin. If some people want to inhale poison, it is their prerogative, but forcing others to inhale that disgusting and deadly smoke should be outlawed. Smoking in public places should be forbidden; further, those who insist in doing so should be arrested for crimes against humanity - especially those who smoke near children. Cigarettes are biological weapons and should be treated as such. It is as simple as that.
Francisco Sepulveda, England
Definitely. I have just come back from New York, and it was a pleasure to go out drinking and eating, without stinking of other people's stale smoke, and it was nice being able to breathe. The food standards/hygiene dept should ban it immediately. If people wish to smoke then go outside.
Lance, England
I am not anti-smoking but it's good to see Pizza Hut make a decision. The market will decide if it's the right one. Far better that it is done voluntarily, and left in the capable hands of consumers and proprietors to choose. We don't need heavy handed legislation like some US states have done, and some UK pressure groups would like.
Peter, UK
Even though I do not smoke, I believe that people should be allowed to smoke in pubs in restaurants as long as there is a non smoking section, and adequate ventilation to minimise the effects of passive smoking.
Peter, UK
| My parents don't smoke at the tea table so I don't think it should be allowed when eating out either |
As a non-smoker I couldn't agree more with the ban. It's not nice to have a meal while surrounded by smoke and it affects my eyes too. My parents don't smoke at the tea table so I don't think it should be allowed when eating out either. It will make the waiters and waitresses' working conditions more bearable too.
Chris E, England I'd love to see smoking banned in restaurants. I gave up smoking only today, but have smoked for nearly 10 years and always agreed with the US viewpoint of no-smoking around in restaurants. It seems unhygienic and unfair on the other customers. More selfishly, the less people I have to watch smoke, the easier it will be to give up!
Helen, UK
Absolutely. Ban it in all public places. I don't see why myself and my family should be made to share your disgusting anti-social habit every time we step outside our front door.
Dean, UK
I'm a smoker (pipe/cigars) myself, but I hate the smell of cigarettes when I'm eating, and always try to prevent my kids being exposed to tobacco smoke. I applaud this move. The right to smoke does not extend to the right to expose those around you to smoke.
Andy Nield, Kent, England
Yes! At long last a restaurant has taken a high profile stance against a filthy habit. I am fed-up of asking for non-smoking tables, only to be contaminated by someone's smoke. You very rarely get a true 'non smoking' restaurant environment. Congratulations to Pizza Hut! Now let's just watch who follows their lead!
David Warburton, UK
Yes it should be banned in restaurants and all public places where food/drink is consumed. Nicotine is a vicious addictive poison and smoking is slavery. Time for everyone to come out of denial about this.
Nam, UK
| Smoking should be banned in all public places, not just restaurants |
Smoking should be banned in all public places, not just restaurants. I know that all smokers will be up in arms about this but why should I be forced to eat my meal or walk around shops breathing in other people's smoke? Do I not have a right to clean air?
Sarah, UK I'm a smoker, but when I'm in a pub or a restaurant, I don't smoke. In fact, when I am out with other people and they start smoking at the table, I feel quite embarrassed! Why should we pass our bad habit onto other people? I welcome this ban and it should be extended.
Simon, UK
The problem with this, and I support the banning, is that someone out there is currently analysing the Human Rights laws to find out if this goes against them.
Ian S, UK, Birmingham
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