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Shirley’s to go non-smoking
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Posted on Jun 09 2008
Smokers will have two fewer spots to light up next week as Shirley’s Coffee Shop is poised to ban the habit at its two locations.
The ban comes as local lawmakers are weighing the prospect of a full ban on smoking in the Commonwealth’s restaurants, a move that is already proving highly controversial. Yet although the ban may rile some customers at Shirley’s, manager Susan Macario says it will safeguard the health of staff and the diners’ clientele against secondhand smoke.
“We want to support cleaner indoor air, not just for the customers, but for our own protection too,” she said.
A recent survey on the pending ban conducted in the restaurant saw some “negative comments” from customers but “we’re hopeful that people will understand,” she added.
The ban is “unfair,” according to one unnamed smoker outside the Shirley’s location in Garapan. “It’s the kind of place where you want to drink your coffee and, yeah, smoke,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ralph DLG Torres (R-Saipan), chairman of the House Health Education and Welfare Committee, is preparing for a series of further hearings on legislation that will ban smoking in restaurants, the Smoke Free Air Act of 2008, H.B. 16-47.
In an interview Monday, Torres said the prospective ban will “only benefit people” by “promoting healthier conditions” in restaurants, but added that whether lawmakers will pursue the ban largely depends on the feedback they receive through comments and testimony at the hearing.
“I like the idea, but it’s up to the people who testify” to decide how far the bill will go, he said.
In addition to the hearings—slated for June 13 and 16—Torres is asking local businesses that have already banned smoking to report on whether it has affected business.
