Cigarette-smoking patrons of Norwegian pubs are using a new anti-smoking law to stiff businesses under the guise of a quick outside puff.
Restaurant owners already have complained that the ban has hurt revenues, Aftenposten reported Tuesday.
Now, they are also complaining because some patrons excuse themselves, allegedly to have a cigarette after dinner, as a way of skipping out on paying their tabs.
Oslo's Clodion Art Cafe, for example, averaged one bill-dodging a week before the new smoking law took effect. Now the cafe is up to three a week, sometimes more, says manager Vibeke Slatheim.
"People seem to lower the threshold for skipping out on paying, when they're already standing out in the street with their coat on," said Baard Fiksdal of a trade association.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
