Smoking while dining Alfresco ?

[Gavlah1973]

I know the Pave...... great place!! The ones that differentiate and sell cask ale, good food or both have a lot better chance than those that just stock Carling & John Smiths as an example!!
Our local is a tenanted boozer. Couple that have it now took it on two years ago.
Whilst it did well for bands it struggled at other times and previous tenants left because they couldn't make a go of it.
The pub now sells 3 cask ales, has cask marque accreditation and now also sells a decent range of wine. They've kept the band nights going also and generally cleaned the pub up.
Its now thriving. Don't get me wrong...... they're never gonna make a fortune..... still paying high rent and over the odds price for beer through the pub co. But they are now making a go of it where the previous folk (who relied on the Carling and ciggie crowd) failed

Wmc, are in the , main totally struggling after smoking ban

[Jimbo]

Right! Two of the pubs down the avenue have seriously reduced the amount of tables and chairs. This is probably (what do I know?) because they want the maximum weekend night packed in crowd of boozers tanking up before they go clubbing. They can keep it.

You'll know far better than we do, but I think the entire demographic is changing. Down Princes Avenue (30 yards away!) the population of the wine-bars changes over the day and over the week. In the week, lunch is a quiet and calm event - lots of young mums with prams, some geriatrics like me, quiet modern jazz playing, crosswords being done and so on. Weekend nights - total mayhem: hundreds of people parachuting in from the estates to the north of the city; tube-tops and mini-skirts; huge crush at the bar; impossible to hear the quiet jazz. I love the way Pave and the avenue change like the weather.

Last night went into Ray's Place (Nepalese - 45 yards away) and ordered some take-away. 30 minutes to kill, so I thought I'd have a drink. Impossible to get into the first three wine bars for the sheer number of people. Made the huge 75 yards walk to Pave. Totally crowded, but being a regular has its merits, and I got a glass of wine passed over the bar in seconds. The nine feet tall black girl next to me was impressed. Not quite impressed enough, but there you go.

I think we're watching an evolutionary process. People want some semblance of class, not spit and sawdust, even if they overwhelm it from time to time. Many pubs have just not learned to adapt.

One of the bad side-effects of the general smoking ban in Europe is, for me, the fact that Paris no longer smells like Paris. It used to smell of warm bread, beer and Gaulloise. Those aromas hung around the Metro and the vents in the street. Rich, exciting, full of atmosphere. Now if Paris smells of anything it's cat poo. Thus does the urge for us to live in an aseptic, sterilised, neutralised environment rob of us so much diversity. 

[Gavlah1973]

Yup....... in the trade known as a chameleon bar..... different by day to night. My mate runs a pub like this in town..... mums and business folk during the day, a dirty rock and roll bar by night.

There's still a place for spit & swwdust but it has to be done well!! I trade with a pub in Otley called the Old Cock.... flagged floors, wooden benches and some real characters.  But it serves 9 real ales, world lagers and great Pork Pies..... a proper pub. Personally I dont like Wetherspoons. Even they have a good drinks range, the beer is average at best, takes ages to get served and the toilets stink!!

Jim, go down to the Marina and try the Minerva, just reopened. Good ales and food!

[Rod]

Right, let's try and put this to bed.

 So if I find someone on the next table to me smoking a cigarette I shall extinguish the cigarette with a glass of water (I am not wasting good wine).  After all, I will not be bullied or dictated to by that person smoking a cigarette.  Because what that person refuses to admit to is the fact that they are being bullies.  "I am smoking a cigarette, so what are you going to do about it?"  Is that what you want Jimbo?  Of course I wouldn't extinguish the cigarette.  Mainly because I have my wife with me and I would not wish to cause a scene and upset others around me.  Smokers on the other hand apparently love confrontation, is that right Jimbo?

My wife and I are tolerant of many things.  Ignorance we are not tolerant of.

[lilly]

Rod, do you seriously think that someone who is having a cigarette really thinks 'I am having a cigarette, so what are you going to do about it', why on earth would smoking a cigarette cause someone to be aggressive and why on earth would anybody who is on holiday be hatching a plan to annoy others, do you think people are that small minded? it seems you are saying that all smokers are aggressive/confrontational when obviously this is not the case, are all drunks wife beaters then?
Smokers love confrontation do they? What all smokers? You mean there is not a smoker in the world who avoids confrontation, are you sure about that? There are many things that I find ignorant in some people many,many things but tolerance of each other is needed but the fact is you cannot tell someone how to live their life whether that concerns tobacco or alcohol. Smoking is allowed in Greece so nobody is breaking the law and all smokers on here have said they would and do show consideration including Jimbo if you care to thoroughly read the topic back to yourself perhaps it will become clearer to you who was posting with an aggressive attitude.

'Crushing someones cigarette' is aggressive, is it not?

[Rod]

Lilly,
 
I did say that I would NOT crush someones cigarette.  However YOU mention "hatching plans, annoy others, small minded, drunks and wife beaters".  Very strange.  I was only going to extinguish a cigarette.   

[lilly]

No not strange at all just pointing out that the majority of smokers are considerate and do not set out to annoy others but nobody can dictate what other people do, I just go on holiday to have a good time and won't be playing spot the smoker or wafting my arms complete with mock coughing, I will be far to busy enjoying the delights of SS.

[Jules]

No not strange at all just pointing out that the majority of smokers are considerate and do not set out to annoy others but nobody can dictate what other people do, I just go on holiday to have a good time and won't be playing spot the smoker or wafting my arms complete with mock coughing, I will be far to busy enjoying the delights of SS.

Totally agree Lilly.

Like some others before has this topic run it's course? Everyone now seem to be going round in circles

[Rod]

I too will enjoy the delights of San Stef.  The beautiful place that it is and the lovely people who live and visit there.  The main poster of this thread asked for feedback regarding smoking whilst eating.  Now if you all trawl the posts I think you will find Sellsy came in for some unnecessary critisism.  You dont like it back do you?   

[Jimbo]

As Lilli and Jules have said - this has run its course. Most of the aggression has come from people like Rod. Much as I would like to say exactly what I think of them, I won't. I will continue, I hope, to be considerate of others, despite the fact that some of the postings on here would turn me from considerate to bloody-minded.

[Jimbo]

Jim, go down to the Marina and try the Minerva, just reopened. Good ales and food!

Gav - have known it for 40 years. It's even in a TV play I wrote. I think they used the facility money from the BBC to do it up a bit!

Link here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100642/

[D@G]

As Lilli and Jules have said - this has run its course. Most of the aggression has come from people like Rod. Much as I would like to say exactly what I think of them, I won't. I will continue, I hope, to be considerate of others, despite the fact that some of the postings on here would turn me from considerate to bloody-minded.

You have a great way with words Jimbo when you attack somebody as having a "tiny mind" then say that most of the aggression has come from others.

I will agree though that this thread has run it's course and probably needs locking up.

[Jimbo]

In response to aggression. Read the thread!

[D@G]

In response to aggression. Read the thread!

I have done.

[Gavlah1973]

Great pub Jim....... can't believe you wrote Tuckers luck?! About Jules!!