Smoking clamp on restaurants
Bahrain’s restaurant and café industry is gearing up for new rules on mandatory smoking and non-smoking sections to be introduced soon.
The rules are being drafted by the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry, but will provide the Health Ministry jurisdiction to inspect the outlets and pass penalties, including closure.
Inspections will also cover sheesha cafés, including underage smoking, operating without licenses and allowing smoking in public places.
This means restaurants and cafés will have to introduce smoke free areas for their customers.
While most were in favour of the decision, others said it would be difficult to implement due to the size of their establishment and habits of their customers.
Zoe restaurant, Adliya, operations manager Ibrahim Elkai said there may be a problem introducing a non-smoking section because of the size of the restaurant.
“It’s only a small place, we couldn’t advertise as non-smoking because smoke would still drift into the other area,” said Mr Elkai
Without spending a substantial amount to build a separate area to cater for non-smokers, it may prove to be difficult for business, he said.
“We want to wait and see what our customers response is, it may be positive among people who care for their health.”
The Sheraton Hotel’s Soie Chinese restaurant currently does not have a non-smoking section, but when it undergoes refurbishment in June it will allocate an area.
“Many Arabs who come here ask for non-smoking and we currently can only place them at a table in the corner,” said restaurant manager Flore Fajrdo.
However the refurbishment will take five months to complete and until then the restaurant will not be able to provide a non-smoking section.
Don Vito café, Adliya, is also planning for the introduction of a healthier, non-smoking area to coincide with a new healthy menu.
“Even though we have an open area, we want to have a separate section for smokers sometime soon,” owner Ahmed Al Murbati.
“We want a healthier atmosphere to go with our healthier food.”
Gulf Hotel public relations manager Sidney Fortun believes that if the government enforces the law it has a chance of working.
“In this part of the world people are very big on smoking, and usually if you tell someone they can’t do something, they want to do it more,” he said.
“However, people have the right to enjoy their meal without being bothered by smokers habits.
“Yet there are other people who enjoy a cigarette after their meal and I think it’s about reaching a compromise that both parties can live with.”
Some of Bahrain’s cafés already provide non-smoking areas.
Coco’s café, Adliya, owner Jalal Quamber said that it was bound to happen eventually. “We already provide a non-smoking dining area upstairs, and Sheeshas are only smoked outside,” he said.
“They already have similar laws in the UK and Ireland, it is inevitable that it will happen here too.”
Fuddruckers restaurant has provided customers with a non-smoking section for almost two years.
“It’s very good, especially for families with children who don’t want to damage their health,” said business development co-ordinator Tamil Arafan.
He feels that other restaurants should welcome the idea.
“We’ve had a non-smoking section for nearly two years now, it’s not a closed off area but there’s enough space so that smoke doesn’t bother other customers, I think other places could do this too.”
Even one of the sheesha cafés welcomed the idea.
“We would be pleased to have non-smoking section,” said Al Bindaira Café, Sanad, manager Mustafa Al Hashimi.
“Some people only come to Sheesha cafés for snacks and drinks and don’t want Sheesha, they just want to relax but can’t because they don’t smoke.”
GDN :: Charlie Holding :: 2 May ’06