Smoking ban in place at eateries.

Publication Date: 2007-01-02

• Author:Bob Moser
• Publication:Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser

Few restaurants were open for business on New Year's Day, but those that were had to start complying with the state's Smoke-Free Air Act.

With the start of 2007, smoking is prohibited in almost every public place where alcohol doesn't make up at least 51 percent of business profits. The law exempts free-standing bars, casino gaming floors and tobacco shops.

At Chili's on Pinhook Road, the restaurant's bar and lounge area was cleared of all ashtrays prior to opening Monday, and a "No Smoking" sticker was freshly stuck in the entrance window. Chris Saxton is a happier bartender now at Chili's. The UL junior majoring in accounting has dealt with secondhand smoke for the past year while tending bar.