THESE ARE TOUGH times for smokers, with city after city banning smoking in restaurants, bars and other once-sacrosanct indoor public places. During World War II, of course, you could light up just about anywhere, except maybe an operating room. The trick was getting your hands on a cigarette. Luckily for smokers, Maurice’s had not forgotten why they called it the hospitality industry. Of course, a war was going on, so the limit was one per customer. No sense taking this hospitality thing too far.
– Per-capita consumption of cigarettes in 1944: 2,000. In 2004: 1,791.
– Percentage of employed Americans who work in the restaurant industry: 9.
– Exceptions to the workplace smoking ban in Ireland: PRISONS AND PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTIONS.
– Percentage of singles in a Match.com/MSN survey who said they absolutely would not date a smoker: 36.6. Percentage who would prefer to date a smoker: 11.1.
– Average per-person cost of dining out in Chicago: $31.64.
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“It is now proven, beyond a doubt, that smoking is a leading cause of statistics.”
–Author Fletcher Knebel
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nwatkins@tribune.com
