RESTAURANT SMOKING: POLL FINDS PUBLIC SUPPORTS DESIGNATED AREAS FOR SMOKERS

Smoking increasingly has become a socially unacceptable habit.

Since the first surgeon general's warning in 1964 that smoking is hazardous to one's health, the number of Americans smoking has dropped. But still, more than 50 million people light up every day in the U.S., and the smoking-vs.-non-smoking debate continues.

Despite the debate's intensity, 77 percent of adult Americans believe there should be a way to accommodate both non-smokers and smokers in restaurant and hospitality establishments. That was the conclusion of a recent national poll commissioned by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DRNA).

Missouri restaurateurs agree the preferences of both should be met.

"We feel the same way," said Mark Dirnberger, food and beverage manager at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau and president of the Southeast Missouri Restaurant Association. "Restaurateurs discus this frequently. We deal with it almost every day."

"We're under fire about it almost every day," said Wayne Schweigert, president and chief executive officer of Schweigert Brothers Inc., which owns and operates the Ozora Truck and Travel Plaza at Interstate 55 and Routes M-N at Ozora.

Schweigert, who is also 1998-99 president of the Missouri Restaurant Association, said that smoking and how to deal with it in restaurants and other hospitality environments is a frequent topic.

"We talk about it locally, statewide and on the national level," said Schweigert. "Our support is with the National Restaurant Association, which does support accommodating designated areas for restaurant patrons."

On numerous occasions, NRA national officials have spoken out against government forced smoking bans.

Many polls have been conducted concerning smoker accommodations. The latest poll, conducted by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,008 adults 21 or older, was funded by a grant from the Accommodation Program, courtesy of Philip Morris U.S.A.

People were asked which of three smoking polices for hospitality establishments they preferred: (1) allowing smoking with no restrictions, (2) allowing smoking only in designated areas, or (3) not allowing smoking at all.

A majority indicated that smoking should be allowed only in designated areas of restaurants and hotel guest rooms.

"Good restaurants become great because they do their best to honor all customer choices," said Christianne Ricchi, president of Products Italia Marketing and Management Co., which markets Italian products in the U.S.

Ricchi is chairperson of DRNA, and a member of the National Restaurant Association and American Institute of Wine and Food.

Several key findings emerge from the "Smoking Hospitality Establishments" poll:

Nearly half of the non-smokers surveyed (46 percent) favor smoking only in designated areas of restaurants, and more than half (58 percent) favor smoking only in designated areas for hotel guest rooms.

Of those surveyed only 4 percent feel that smoking with no restrictions should be permitted in restaurants, and 10 percent feel that smoking with no restrictions should be permitted in hotel guest rooms.

Several key findings merged from the "Smoking in Hospitality Establishments" poll:

-- 77 percent of respondents agreed there should be a way to accommodate both smokers and non-smokers in hospitality establishments.

-- 77 percent think business owners and consumers should be responsible for setting smoking policies.

-- 79 percent believe good ventilation can have an impact on smoking. The restaurant industry recognizes the fact that smoke can be bothersome to non-smokers, and that ventilation can play an important role in providing a comfortable atmosphere where smoking is permitted.

-- 75 percent believe that smoking issues can be resolved through common courtesy.

Overall, almost three-fourths of the general public "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree" with the following statements:

-- Smokers and non-smokers should respect each other's choice (89 percent).

--Smoking areas in hospitality establishments should be separate from non-smoking areas, but should be equally as appealing (81 percent).

-- A way should be found to accommodate both smokers and non-smokers in hospitality establishment (77 percent).

-- Smoking issues can be solved through common courtesy (75 percent).

Since the surgeon general first warned about health hazards of cigarette smoking in 1964, more than 40 million Americans have quit smoking.

Smoking has become prohibited in many public places -- hospitals, schools, some restaurants, courthouses and businesses.

People smoke for what they term "relaxation and pleasure."

Smoking among men peaked in the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s, at about 67 percent. Smoking among women peaked at about 34 percent in the 1960s. In the late 1980s, about 32 percent of men and 27 percent of women 20 or older smoked cigarettes.

Those figures soared over the next two decades -- 53 percent of men and 34 percent of women smoked during the early 1960s -- before the numbers started decreasing.