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Here in the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/ChapelHill) metro area, I am very thankful that a quickly growing number of restaurants are not waiting for the state....they're taking action on their own and going smoke-free voluntarily. A few bars are, too (although not nearly as much as restaurants, you can imagine). I can fortunately target most of my eating out to those wonderful smokefree places.
mm34b's links are helpful. Also, if you want something even more local, go to your county government's website, to the health department, and see if they list smokefree restaurants there. I know Wake & Durham counties do. If any of you (in the Triangle) still need help, PM me and I'll list some of my favorite smokefree places for ya.
This is definately an issue those moving to NC from states with a smoking ban should consider. I currently live in FL and will be moving back to NC in 10 months. My family has owned property in NC all of my life and I went to college there. As dh and I have dicieded to move when my oldest graduates we have been visiting a lot. One of the first things dh was concerned about was smoking.
Once you are used to no smoking in restaurants, offices etc. It is hard to go back. I would certianly choose a non smoking restaurant over a smoking one. The issue for me is offices. It would be impossible to work in a building with smoking allowed.
I am wondering... What is the percentage of smokers vs non smokers? Anyone?
The issue for me is offices. It would be impossible to work in a building with smoking allowed.
That is pretty rare, from what I've seen, even in this state. Once in a while you might find one that has established a "smoking lounge"...usually with separate ventilation. But overall, office & cubicle suites are pretty smokefree.
Not long ago I quit smoking. But when I smoked there was one thing I hated and that was going into a restaurant and be surrounded by smokers. Just because I smoked I did not want it blown in my face and have to deal with it while I was eating. Which is why I never did it to anyone else. If you can't wait until you are finished eating and out of the restaurantyou have a real problem. When I smoked, I like to think that I was always considerate to other people because as I said I didn't like it blown in my face or having it surrounding me. I know that sounds strange but it's the truth.
When we visited Raleigh in May, my husband and I apparently had a shocked expression on our faces when we went to restaurants and were asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking. Here is S. Florida it has been banned in most every public building for a long time. Malls included. The people seating us always noted that many people were surprised at that question.
More and more of the "upper scale" restaurants are banning smoking. If you are planning your move around restaurants that allow smoking...I'm sorry to say that I think we are headed in the opposite direction...more NON smoking! Which gets a huge HOORAY from me! Vicki
More and more of the "upper scale" restaurants are banning smoking.
Yup!
Not to mention alot of the smaller casual places like coffee houses, sandwich shops, lunch joints, etc. In fact, pretty much every place that I know of that doesn't have a bar has gone pretty much completely smoke-free.
And that's not to say bars aren't going smoke free either....just not quite to the extent. But you can find them...even singles bars, gay bars, sports bars, dance clubs....have gone smokefree, if you search hard enough.
When I moved to Asheville about 4 years ago, the owner of the company I still work for (old school guy) would still smoke in the office, even though I'm sure it was illegal. He wouldn't smoke in his own office out front, but he would smoke and do most of his business in "the smoking room" in the back, which became a de facto smokers lounge. If he needed to talk to you, you would go in there, whether or not you were a smoker. I remember a meeting in the conference room when I was called in, with one other non-smoker, a close friend of mine. She and I were the only ones in the meeting that weren't smoking, and they basically told us that the rest of them would be smoking during the whole meeting, and we had to put up with it. I always kept it in the back of my mind that if I were unreasonably let go, I'd go after them, because there were witnesses. I put up with it because they paid me very good money for Asheville, and there aren't any other software company jobs available here in this town. Well...about a year and a half ago he had to sell the company because he ran it into the ground, and new progressive owners took over. He stuck around for a while, but was forced out a few months back. The smoking room is gone. Wonder if he's smoking at home now?
roxors, I used to work at a place like that. It was a telephone answering service and I was an operator. Everyone in the place smoked but me and two other girls. The place would be think with smoke and they posted a "look out" at the secretary office for a "Bob (the boss)" alert. Everytime he came in the building, Rose would call out that Bob was in the building and the cigarettes went out and the astrays were hidden. The man had to be an idiot if he couldn't smell it. I eventually had to quit because I couldn't take it anymore. Actually I should have sued them because there was a sign up there that stated no smoking and if you were caught in the operator's room smoking, you could have been fired.
Good for Marriott hotels, BTW, they've announced that ALL their properties will be smoke free for ALL rooms! Nice work Marriott.
But I know I'm moving to tobacco country, so it would be hard to expect them to bite the hand that (used to) feed them. Hopefully eventually, though.
Even though NC is considered to be tobbacco country, I think the laws will eventually change, and not for any political reason but more for health reasons. There is more and more findings that second-hand smoke will cause cancer and we will probably see a lot of lawsuits as a result of it. So I think it's just a matter of time before that will happen. Would not surprise me about cell phone use being 'hands-free' as well.
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