Whitbread opens new smoke-free Brewers Fayre

National food pub chain Brewers Fayre has opened its third wholly non-smoking restaurant.

The Flagstaff Island Brewers Fayre, in Ashby, Lincolnshire, which opened two weeks ago, has a totally smoke free bar and restaurant.

It follows Brewers Fayre outlets in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, and Goole, Humberside, which are also completely non-smoking.

"Initial reaction to the pub has been very good," said a Brewers Fayre spokeswoman. "It is a prominent site which helps attract customers, but the no smoking policy is also drawing people in."

The Whitbread-owned brand has 240 outlets nationwide, which traditionally have separate smoking and non-smoking sections.

According to the spokeswoman the company plans to continue rolling out smoke-free outlets - as long as the sites are right.

"The smoke-free sites are smaller than the average Brewers Fayre pubs which means it is better to make them completely no smoking rather than trying to keep smokers and non smokers separate," said the company spokeswoman.

According to The Publican's Market Report 2002, a survey of 750 licensees, pubs would lose about 39 per cent of their trade if a smoking ban was enforced.

But the smoke-free Brewers Fayre pubs, one of which has been open for two years, are doing well - possibly because of their emphasis on food. Smoke-free eating is increasingly popular and many pubs now have non-smoking dining areas.

Food-led pubs across the country could now look to Brewers Fayre as an example and consider banning smoking altogether.

The impending ban on smoking in Irish pubs, bars and restaurants began as a proposal to outlaw smoking where food is served and in Australia the government has banned smoking in restaurants.

Brewers Fayre's latest smoke-free opening comes after anti-smoking group Ash accused the pub trade of ignoring evidence that the public wants smoke-free pubs.

The pressure group claimed there was no evidence that fewer people would go to the pub if smoking was banned.