Tobacco curb becomes law Ban has smokers fuming
Jump to full article: Connecticut Post, 2003-10-01
Author: KEN DIXON
Intro: Throughout Connecticut, restaurant owners and customers began an unprecedented social transition shortly after midnight today, when restaurants with five or more employees began banning smoking indoors.
Restaurant managers, wary of some of the isolated instances of violence after New York City adopted a similar ban earlier this year, will depend on "No Smoking" signage and the goodwill of patrons in order to avoid $99 fines from authorities.
Joe Collier, a smoker who is general manager of the new, 500-seat Harborside, says that he requested a copy of the new rules from the Stratford Health Department.
"Obviously this law is geared for the health of the employees," Collier says as he eats a late lunch at the end of the bar opposite Hainsworth and Katic. "I really thought it was OK to have a smoking and non-smoking section."
Collier is worried that there has not been a concerted public campaign to educate patrons to the new rules.
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