Posted: 4/28/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Tedd Anderson Minneci's, an Italian restaurant at First Street and Springfield Avenue in Champaign, has recently become a smoke-free restaurant. Many establishments in the Champaign area have been adopting this policy.

Minneci's restaurant officially went smoke free on April 11. The decision is in line with a trend developing across the country.

Several establishments in Champaign-Urbana have followed suit and independently chosen to go smoke free, including Papa Del's, 206 E. Green St.

In 2006, Chicago went smoke free. Urbana and Champaign have debated proposals to put such laws into effect.

Joe Minneci has owned and operated the restaurant, at 401 S. First St., since 1983. He said the non-smoking section always filled quickly, and people were left waiting for tables, despite open seats in the smoking section.

"The tolerance just isn't there anymore," Minneci said.

About six months ago, Minneci made the restaurant smoke free on weekends. Customers came on weekends to support Minneci's decision. He eventually chose to go completely smoke free out of concern for his workers' and customers' health and happiness.

"The situation was becoming uncomfortable for some of my customers," Minneci said. "I had to make the decision one way or the other and I'm happy with the one I've made. I think the decision should be left up to each owner. Especially for bars where people aren't eating and aren't with their families."

The restaurant plans to make an area away from the entrance with ashtrays and a canopy. However, many smoking patrons are not happy with these types of accommodations.


Amir Lusky, freshman in LAS, said he has been a social smoker for four years.


"It's a matter of free will," Lusky said. "I choose to smoke just like other people choose not to smoke. I don't think it's fair to say that a person has to leave the restaurant because of a choice they've made when other people don't have to leave to drink alcohol, and that is just as bad for your health."


Lusky also said city- and state-wide smoking bans are counterintuitive.


"If the government is not going to make the sale of tobacco illegal, then they are just going around in circles," Lusky said. "Why discourage people from using something that accounts for so much of our economy and influences law-making bodies?"

Continued...

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