
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994                   TAG: 9402240164
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

MCDONALD'S MOVES TO STAMP OUT SMOKING

McDonald's Corp. said Wednesday that all its 1,400 wholly owned restaurants would ban smoking immediately. At the same time, the association representing 90,000 chain restaurants backed a bill to end smoking in all restaurants and other buildings used by the public.

The announcements were prompted by the increasing number of nonsmokers who have demanded freedom from smoke in restaurants, said Terrie Dort, executive director of the trade association, the National Council of Chain Restaurants.

She said 30,000 of the nation's chain restaurants already had banned smoking, and the proposed law "provides a level playing field that our industry needs to reach the 100 percent mark."

Until now, restaurant managers have been afraid to ban smoking for fear that their smoking customers would rebel, giving their competitors an advantage.

Dort said Wednesday that "the only way to resolve this issue fairly" was for Congress to ban smoking in all buildings in one stroke.

Brennan Dawson, a spokeswoman for The Tobacco Institute, which represents the major tobacco companies in Washington, said of the restaurant group, "These people really have overstepped their bounds, and are trying to decide what is best for everybody, from the bingo halls to every workplace in the United States."

She said that if smoking were banned in all restaurants, smokers would not be the only ones to suffer. She said a ban would hurt restaurateurs too. She cited polls by the tobacco industry in which smokers have said that they might go to fast-food restaurants less often if smoking is banned there.

The council of chain restaurants and McDonald's both said they would support the Smoke-Free Environment Act of 1993, sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who is chairman of the House Health and Environment Subcommittee.

Last week, the bill was endorsed by the Clinton administration and six former surgeons general.

McDonald's is the nation's largest fast-food chain, and Wednesday's announcement brings to about 3,600 the number of its restaurants that prohibit smoking, said Rebecca Caruso, a spokeswoman.

That is about 40 percent of the 9,100 McDonald's restaurants.

The restaurants in the chain that have not banned smoking are franchise operations and cannot be ordered by McDonald's to halt smoking.

by CNB