"If we ban smoking on terraces, customers will no longer come," warns the profession.

"A huge portion of our turnover depends on terraces. We generate an average of 30% of our business from them," Franck Trouet, general director of the Groupement des Hôtelleries et Restaurations de France (GHR), recalled on RMC this Wednesday.

For him, the idea of ​​banning smoking on terraces is a direct threat: "If we ban them, they won't come anymore. And today, every customer counts. We're in great difficulty. It's a public health debate, certainly, but above all a debate about freedoms," he believes. The economist and columnist for Estelle Midi acknowledges the "irrational pleasure" of smoking on terraces and concedes that a ban could make him reconsider his desire to sit - or not - on them.

"My whole youth was a cloud of smoke! When you said, 'Can't you stop?' they would reply, 'It's my right.'" Social pressure was on those who didn't smoke," recalled Jacques Legros, former presenter of the TF1 news.

Concerns have been heightened since France's July 1st decree banning smoking near schools, in parks, and on beaches. Beyond our borders, Spain is seeking to ban smoking from terraces.

The government of Socialist Pedro Sánchez has introduced a bill banning smoking and vaping in many public places: terraces, parks, around schools, bus stops, concerts, and outdoor swimming pools. "Today we are taking an important step in the fight against smoking," Health Minister Mónica García emphasized on Tuesday.

The bill also plans to strengthen the ban on advertising and prohibit tobacco consumption by minors. However, it will still have to pass the parliamentary stage, and its adoption is not guaranteed.

For professionals, terraces represent one of the last spaces for conviviality between smokers and non-smokers. "We don't want another ban," insists Franck Trouet. But non-smoking customers don't always share this opinion. Pamela, a graphic designer, believes, on the contrary, that "smoking on terraces deprives non-smokers of their freedom."

"It directly affects the health of those who did not choose to be exposed. Everyone should be able to enjoy public spaces without harming others. A ban would rebalance this freedom," she explained to Estelle Midi .

France reached a new milestone this summer. As of July 1, 2025, smoking is now banned in public parks and gardens, on beaches, around schools, middle schools, and high schools, in bus shelters and transit waiting areas, as well as in swimming pools, stadiums, and sports facilities.

Fines of €135 to €750 are imposed for violations. However, café and restaurant terraces remain excluded from the scheme, a decision criticized by several anti-smoking associations, who see it as a lack of political courage.