I can't believe they can do this!!

[Fulgurant]

You are wrong! Moreover, you are adding to the growing antipathy that the general non smoking population feels towards vapers with your arrogance.

Even if you were not vaping something obnoxious like bacon and eggs or essence of buffalo dung, you are still putting odors in the air of a restaurant. Restaurants have enough trouble contending with the normal stuff like perfume and body odor. ecig vapor does have a nasty habit of sticking to stuff; I have to clean the inside of my windshield a lot more often when vaping and driving.

The lack of patrons at that time does not give you the right to be disrespectful to the people working there.

(Emphasis mine.)

The OP wasn't just wrong; he was dead wrong. Short of refusing you service because of your gender or race, restaurant owners can do just about anything they want on their own property, reasonable or not. On the day that private businesses are disallowed from making their own policies regarding non-essential behavior, vaping will be the least of our concerns.

That said, let us not use the OP's rather exceptional ignorance on the matter of private-property rights to prop up an argument that vaping in restaurants is disrespectful per se. Perhaps I misinterpret you, but your post reads as though you are conflating the disrespectful argument the OP made vis-a-vis business owners' rights with the disrespect you believe to be tied to vaping in public places.

It's one thing to say that restaurants have an unassailable right to make anti-vaping policies; it's quite another to say that they're correct to enact those policies. The latter statement does not proceed from the former, just as a defense of free speech does not require agreement with any particular speaker. More power to you if you happen to agree with the restaurant's policy, but that's a hotly contested opinion that has nothing to do with the OP's situation.

As I am not particularly interested in having the vaping-in-public-places debate for the bajillionth time this month, I will reserve further comment. Suffice to say that although the OP's wrongness is beyond dispute, everything else remains very much in dispute.

 

[stlhawks]

Fulgurant - your post reads exceptionally well. Your post x 1,000,000

 

[Fulgurant]

I did comply and I did not challenge the rule, I just asked why it was in place. I don't understand all the drama being attached to the situation, are people that against asking why a rule is in place? My god, what kind of world do we live in where simply asking the rationale behind a rule is met with such disdain and criticism?

You apparently announced that businesses "aren't allowed" to prohibit e-cig use. That's not questioning the policy; that's (incorrectly) questioning the business' right to make the policy.

I'm all for respectful discussion of private business' vaping policies. If we are to win our little political struggle here, we need to educate people, after all. But you went about it the wrong way. In any case, debating the merits of vaping policy with a bouncer at 3am probably isn't the most productive use of your time or his.

Pick your battles.

EDIT: Thanks, stl

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Omg, I did do that, I said ok I'm sorry, gave a huge tip and just asked why that was the rule bc I thought it was allowed everywhere. I've stated this several times already in the previous comments

Last post here but judging by your description of the employees adhering to the rules the owner had asked them to enforce...

The bouncer told me in a gruff tone you can't do that here. So I kindly and politely responded that I don't think an establishment is allowed to prohibit the use of ecigs and that you can use them like pretty much EVERYWHERE. He just repeated back to me the same thing like a roided out answering machine,"I don't know man that's what my boss told me not allowed to do that here" then the matrices chimed in repeating the same thing he said, it was like conversing with a bunch of mindless parrots. I said, legally I dunno if that's ok. So she responded with distinctly overt attitude at this point,"well LEGALLY, we are allowed to refuse business to who ever we want so ya" (with a smug .....y look slapped on her face). Again I reiterate, there was not even a single patron present there so I dunno why they were being so obnoxious after I just dropped about thirty bucks for fries and a burger. What is the world coming to, I feel like an x-men in professor Xavier's institute being discriminated against by an ignorant world of haters who need to be educated.

Even after you were told by numerous employees you still questioned the legality of it: I said, legally I dunno if that's ok.
Remember the title of this thread: I can't believe they can do this!!
and your final comment: I'm interested to hear others opinions.
I'm only telling you how I've handled these situations....sometimes it's allowed, sometimes not and sometimes there's an understanding/ agreement/ common ground. My wife and I go to a certain restaurant quite often. I'm not allowed to vape within the restaurant BUT because of the way I handled the situation the Owner has offered the use of his office which I've never taken him up on.
Legally it it is a gray area but there are many Municipalities that are enacting anti vaping laws much the same as smoking and if it did go through the courts I'm fairly certain of the outcome.
Unless I'm on my own property I always ask permission beforehand- this includes visiting friends.

 

[Nataani]

Personally, whenever I enter an establishment I ask the waitress when we sit down if they have any policy regarding ecigs. If they do, I just go outside to vape, was plenty used to it as a smoker.

I frequent places that allow vaping, so sometimes I catch myself doing it in unfamiliar places without thinking about it. Almost this exact same circumstance happened to me at chilli's, picking up food late at night. Was tired, wasn't thinking, found myself vaping while waiting for food. The wait staff were incredibly rude, something along the lines of "that dirty stuff isn't allowed in here". I nodded, apologized, and noted her name. The next day I called the store, spoke to the general manager and relayed my experience. He was furious that his wait staff would talk to someone like that, reiterating that indeed ecigs are not allowed to be used in the restaurant, but that wait staff are told to be polite under any circumstance.

I think what has sparked so many tempers here are the comments:

So I kindly and politely responded that I don't think an establishment is allowed to prohibit the use of ecigs and that you can use them like pretty much EVERYWHERE. He just repeated back to me the same thing like a roided out answering machine,"I don't know man that's what my boss told me not allowed to do that here" then the matrices chimed in repeating the same thing he said, it was like conversing with a bunch of mindless parrots. I said, legally I dunno if that's ok.

Essentially you argued with them, trying to tell them what they can and cant do. I don't think this is as dramatic as others are making it out to be though. Had you apologized and left it at that when the bouncer told you not to, the waitresses probably wouldn't have chimed in and the entire situation would have simply deflated.

It is important to realize that if this is the only contact that these people have with a vaper, and they do so choose to vote, from the small minded side they will simply see someone who broke a rule about something in their establishment, and then proceeded to argue about it. If this is the only contact they have with the vaping world, I can understand why they would vote against.

 

[Amraann]

Well the resounding opinion seems to be I was wrong (and that I'm awful and a problem for the entire vapinng community the world over). The only reason I was under the impression that you could Vape anywhere in the first place was because the owner of the Santa Monica Vape shop I go to had told me and several other patrons that last time I was there. I was by no means rude or obnoxious like some commenters continue to insist. I stopped, said sorry, gave a ridiculously large tip and just asked why it wasn't allowed I thought it wasn't prohibited anywhere

You maybe should go read your original post. It does indicate that you attempted to argue the point with them. If that is not the case then you should have explained as such to begin with.
Also you came here and ASKED what we thought. Then your going to get upset and defensive because you did not like the replies?

If you did not want honest answers and opinions then why did you ask?

 

[gazjd]

The only place iv ever been told i cant vape is work (that sucks!) but if in any situation i was asked not to vape, i would stop, rather than try to argue the law try to educate ppl on vaping. We are growing in numbers thanks to the positives of vaping spreading. Atleast once or twice a week a random person will ask "what's that?" or "is that bad for you?" and Il happily chat away for half an hour about vaping and the positive effect its had on my life.

Educate don't argue.

Sent from my RM-914_eu_euro1_327 using Tapatalk

 

[ptheng]

More and more cities are starting to treat vaping like ciggs now.....they dont know and care, if it looks like smoke they treat it as such.

 

[dice57]

OP was mistaken yes, but dead wrong, frak no. The employees in the restaurant showed extremely bad customer service by being snotty and rude regardless of the rules of the establishment. I work at and have worked for businesses in the entertainment, restaurant and guest services industries, and bad customer interactions like those reported by the OP would be grounds for dismissal. Customer service is job one, because one rudely treated customer can mean major loss of business.

The proper response by the employees would be, "I am sorry miss/sir, but we do not allow vaping in our establishment, it is against company policy, but if you'd like to step out in the foyer I would gladly bring your order out to you when it is ready. Again my deepest apologies. Thank you for complying with our rules, and please come back again soon.

Now that's proper customer service, not Yo beach, you can't do that here, or will kick you ... out the door. Seriously folks, just because people are misinformed, had a long shift or had chitty tips, it is no excuse for rudeness, they are being paid to be polite friendly and helpful, not to be rude, disgruntle and disrespectful.

 

[quack addict]

I've been vapeing at work (a sewage treatment plant) for four months, suddenly last week it's now against policy. it's not worth the headache. Now I go outside every 15 min. to vape for 10 min.

 

[Amraann]

I would like to further comment about the vape shop employee. I would not do business with them again. It seems to me that the employee was just trying to get people to buy their product by giving out incorrect information.
At the very least I would contact the store owner and let them know.

 

[RosaJ]

Chuck it up to experience. The only thing you can do is write the owner/manager of the establishment and tell him of your experience, send him some informational material you can download from the CASAA website, and tell him in no uncertain terms that as long as he has the non-vaping policy he will not get your business.

That's what I've done with Starbucks. While I know I'm only one person and Starbucks may not care, I have to be able to live with myself and I like to think I have a right to spend my money wherever I want. Obviously they don't need my business.

 

[craigie1874]

I hear what your saying but as others have informed you its their house and therefore their rules :/ I try to vape only in places where its not going to annoy people, public places where its going to blow in their faces is a no no even if it does smell of raspberry and grape people don't want whats effectively your breath in their faces. I get looked at like I have horns when people see me with my Kayfun -once I saw an old man watching me and then telling his wife & she joined in with looks of disapprovement - I was glad there wasn't more of them or they may have chased me off with pitchforks! Yea we know its harmless but they don't know what it is (the majority any-roads) so try and keep it to yourself I am sure you could have gone without a vape for the few minutes you waited on your order or even went outside and waited- I would have!

 

[CommaHolly]

you were wrong.

 

[Dusty_D]

Ok.. I think enough ground has been covered here. Thread closed.