Smoking ­ the writing's on the wall

JD Wetherspoon has decided to ban smoking at its 650 pubs in May 2006. The decision was helped by chairman Tim Martin's regular visits to the company's first non-smoking pub in Exeter. But Wetherspoon customers have mixed views on the move. NICK IRVING reports

The George's Meeting House only opened in a converted Unitarian chapel in Exeter 17 days ago, but its success has persuaded boss Tim Martin to take a lead against smoking. The new pub is the local for Martin, a reformed 50-a-day man who lives within walking distance, and his company made up their minds after he paid regular visits in the pub's first week.

He was even congratulated by Saturday-night customers for making the new pub a no-smoking zone.

Most of the pub's 250 covers were filled with contented customers when the Morning Advertiser called in and none of them had any complaints about the policy. Even smokers seemed happy to accept the restriction and one braved Arctic temperatures to smoke in the pub's beer garden.

Martin believes his chain is setting a trend, which the rest of the industry will follow.

Speaking on a visit to the pub, he said: "The rest will be following us because a ban on smoking in pubs is inevitable. I am worried that non-smokers may not want to come to our pubs. We did not make this decision lightly.

"I feel we are following a trend. Smokers only represent 25% of the population and half of them want to give up and a lot of people are put off pubs by the smoky atmospheres. We have to balance the two and I feel the time is coming for us to follow the example of most offices and other workplaces and say that, if people want to smoke, they can do so outside.

"We have always led the field in this area and all of our pubs have always had large non-smoking areas and they have become more important as food becomes a bigger part of the business.

"I have been pushing hard within the company for an active approach to smoking and, when this pub opened, it was our first non-smoking pub and was close to where I live. It has only been open a short time, but it has been very successful and that had some influence on the decision. I have been here four or five times in the brief time it has been open and the remarkable thing is that, even though the pub has been busy, nobody has lit up. Even smokers I have spoken to say they prefer it, particularly if they are eating and some were occasionally going outside for a cigarette."

Manager Mark Cooper said: "We have not had any problems, it does not seem to have cost us any business and the customers have accepted it. We haven't heard of anyone choosing not to come in and I have seen quite a few customers putting out their cigarettes as they get to the door.

"I was stood at the door on Saturday night with Tim Martin and three customers stopped and said they wanted to shake his hand and thank him for having the courage to make the pub non-smoking. I don't know if that may have affected the decision, but he does have a tendency to do things quite quickly."

Most of the customers were non-smokers and all welcomed the ban.

Solicitor Sarah Ziff, aged 30, from Exeter, said she was especially pleased with the policy because she gave up smoking just before Christ-mas. She said: "I have just given up and used to smoke 20 a day, so this place is fantastic. I find it quite easy not smoking when I am at home or at work, but the time when I really find it difficult is when I am out for a drink and there are other people smoking.

"This is just great because it means I can go out and not think about it and not be tempted, so it is helping me to give up. Anyone like me, who is giving up, is going to choose to come here rather than anywhere else, because they are not going to be in a situation where they are tempted."

Postman David Bath, aged 36, and his wife, Kay, aged 34, who works as an office clerk, said they were pleased with the decision because they were looking forward to bringing their 10-year-old son, Tom, to the family room at the pub.

Kay said: "It is lovely for us because we don't smoke and it is nice to be somewhere where no-one is smoking and they have a family room. It is really nice to get home and not have the smell of smoke on your clothes, which you can get even if your are only in a smoky pub for 15 minutes."

Occasional smoker Andrew Baker, a 43-year-old hairdresser, said: "I sometimes have a cigarette when I am out but I don't mind at all. It is no bother to me and it helps me not to smoke. It does not seem to have affected their business and I think the only problem would be if you were with a bigger group and some of them wanted to smoke."

The only person smoking at the pub was 30-year-old panel beater Chris Bowers, who braved the bitter temperatures of the beer garden to light up. He said: "I think it is fair enough and I don't mind having to sneak out for a quick fag, although it will be much easier in the summer than in the winter. I am still happy to come here and stick by the rules."

Customer Jonathan Malpass, a 40-year-old furniture salesman from Exeter, said he thought the decision was right. He said: "I am not a smoker and so I am quite happy with it. I go to other pubs where they smoke and I would rather come here. I can see it might be difficult if you were with other people who did want to smoke."

Pensioner David Wyatt, aged 62, from Honiton said: "I have not smoked since I was in the Royal Navy many years ago, so the ban does not bother me. The ban makes a lot of sense in here, because it's a beautiful old building and they don't want to spoil it with a lot of smoke. There are also a lot of people eating and there would be no way of stopping them being affected by other people's smoke in a large open space like this."

Health-service worker Samantha Wilson-Smith, aged 30, said: "I think it's fantastic and there should be more places like this. "It's really nice to be able to go out for lunch and not go back to work with your clothes smelling like an ashtray."

But smokers at Wetherspoon's other Exeter pub, the popular Imperial, which is based near the city's university, had a rather different viewpoint.

Cleaning contractor Paul Chamberlain, aged 58, said: "I suppose it's the way everything is going, but it would put me off if I had to spend a whole evening in there without having a smoke. I am not sure I like the atmosphere in there anyway. It's still like a church as far as I can see."

Fisherman Claude Hawkes, aged 52, said: "I think Wetherspoon's are taking a big risk, because a lot of their existing customers smoke and they will not want to stop and so they will go elsewhere. It is an infringement on the freedom of the individual, but that is the way the country is going at the moment."

Student Sophie Potterton, from Honiton, said: "They are going to lose a lot of students because a lot smoke. Wetherspoon's is cheap for students."

Exeter College student Kim McAndrews, 18, agreed saying: "It's an individual's choice to smoke. It's not like it's illegal."

Non-smoking student James Oram, 20, said of the move: "It should be banned in eating areas, but for small pubs without eating areas it should be up to the landlord."

Maggie Dunlop, 56, from Exeter said: "It suits me because I am a non smoker, but Wetherspoon pubs have non-smoking areas anyway."