Spaghettis, Glasgow
Spaghettis is an up and coming chain of Italian restaurants in the West of Scotland, with branches in Shawlands, Glasgow, Hamilton and South Lanarkshire.
The restaurant in Shawlands adopted a no smoking policy on September 1, 2004, after the proprietor, Dee Lalli, had a bad experience at a smoky restaurant, encouraging her to make Spaghettis the first restaurant in the south side of Glasgow to become smoke free.
“My husband and I had gone for a meal and were seated between two tables at which customers were smoking. On one table there were six people – all smoking at the same time.
“I asked to be moved to a smoke-free area but I was informed that the restaurant did not have a smoke-free area. We did take another table, away from the smokers, but it wasn't much better and it spoiled the whole evening.”
After observing that other customers were bothered by the smoke and the number of smokers coughing, Dee decided enough was enough and introduced the no-smoking policy at her Glasgow restaurant.
She said: “I had always just accepted smoking as part and parcel of public life but it doesn't have to be that way. It's an individual's choice to smoke, but people around smokers don't have a choice. The smokers have the choice whether to light up or not.”
The restaurant has plenty of No Smoking signs in windows and at the door and contacted the local press to let them know the restaurant was going smoke free. The staff are all smokers, but since the ban many of them now smoke considerably less.
Dee added: “The majority of customers were very positive when we introduced the ban. The smokers either go outside or don't light up at all so everybody is happy. Other proprietors really should have nothing to worry about when the smoking ban comes into force.”