Smoking ban makes it pointless to sell cigarettes, says eatery owner

 

About 40% of the Indian Muslim restaurant association’s members no longer sell tobacco products, says the association’s president. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

With smoking banned by law in eateries, it is only appropriate that restaurant operators stop selling cigarettes over the counter, says a mamak chain restaurant owner.

Ubayathullah Yunus, the owner of Klang Valley chain My Nasi Kandar, said it is difficult to advise patrons to adhere to the law if the restaurants themselves sell cigarettes, indirectly promoting smoking.

Since the anti-smoking law is already imposed on the eateries, there’s no point in selling cigarettes. Why would one sell cigarettes if their customers are not allowed to smoke in the restaurants?

 he said.

Besides, it makes it easier to explain to authorities that the smokers did not get their cigarettes from us,

 he told FMT in response to a proposal by the Malaysian Indian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association that all mamak restaurants stop selling cigarettes.

Presma president Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said 40% of the 12,000 eateries in the association no longer sell tobacco products.

Ubayathullah, who operates six mamak restaurant branches, said he stopped selling cigarettes immediately after the smoking ban was imposed in 2019.

Selling cigarettes is not profitable anyway. Last time, I could get around RM500 in sales a day, but only a profit margin of 20%. The profits could be lower if the employees steal or customers don’t pay. So now I have less of a headache,

 he said.

Another mamak restaurant owner, Azrin Anver Ali, said reminders to customers about the smoking ban would be more effective if the restaurants themselves walked the talk.

If we want to control smoking in restaurants and remind customers about the ban, we have to stop selling cigarettes first. Otherwise, they would question why we sell cigarettes in the first place,

 he said.

Azrin, who operates five restaurants in the Klang Valley, stopped cigarette sales in his premises last year and encouraged others to do the same to help promote the government’s anti-smoking campaign.

Restoran Hakim owner Hakimsa Abdul Karim said he also takes it his duty as a Muslim to discourage smoking among his Muslim customers as the habit is considered haram in Islam.

The religion says it’s wrong, which is also one of the reasons I stopped selling cigarettes in my premises, so I have no problem supporting the proposal,

 he said. - FMT