Smoking will no longer be allowed on the terraces of McDonald’s in the Netherlands from the end of this summer. The fast food chain announced this on Wednesday. The company has 258 restaurants in the Netherlands, 200 of which have a terrace.
The terraces will be adjusted in the coming weeks, making it clear to visitors that lighting a cigarette is no longer allowed. For example, there will be tiles from the Smoke-free Generation anti-smoking group.
Since the beginning of this year, companies must already offer a smoke-free environment for their staff. McDonald’s has now decided to no longer allow smoking on terraces. The fast food chain says that it is also responding to this legislation. It claims to be the first catering company to introduce such a measure on this scale.
According to the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), which monitors compliance with the smoking ban, despite the ban, there are still places within a company where smoking is allowed. This concerns, for example, private spaces, the open air and certain outdoor areas.
Conditions do apply, such as with outdoor terraces. Smoking is not allowed to cause smoke nuisance indoors. The terrace must also be completely open on at least one side, even if there is an awning or parasol. Furthermore, no smoking areas may be placed on a terrace.