[TKDietz]

"Public places are those paid for by the public, ie. courthouses, state buildings, municipal buildings, etc."

That is not the accepted definition of "public places." Just for giggles I did a quick computer search for definitions for "public place" in my state's code books and found the following two definitions for "public place":

"'Public place' means a publicly or privately owned place to which the public or substantial numbers of people have access;"

"'Public place' means any area that is used or held out for use by the public whether owned or operated by public or private interests."

I suspect that these are similar to definitions used in other localities.

[MrLeRoy]

"'Public place' means a publicly or privately owned place to which the public or substantial numbers of people have access;"

Whether smoking is allowed in a privately owned place is none of the majority's business, but only the owner's---that's what private property is all about.

[Gabz]

You're not telling me anything I didn't already know.

However, I still disagree that a private business open to some members of the public should be considered a public place when it comes to things that are visible to the general public, such as the permissibility of smoking cigarettes.

I totally understand public health laws regulating temperatures and cleanliness issues in the kitchen, the invited public is unable to see those things.