It was a perfect Valentine’s Day evening for Manizeh and her husband Padmanadh till it blew up in smoke, literally.

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An unnecessary argument over smoking a cigarette compelled them to exit a suburban restaurant even without finishing their meal.

Seven months’ pregnant Manizeh was wondering why the manager could not ask a man in the bar to stop smoking. It was quite a surprise for her to find out from the manager that the smoker was the owner of the place.

“When I saw the man smoking, I called the manager and asked if we were allowed to smoke inside the bar. He thought I was asking for myself. He refused and suggested I go to the smoking zone. But when I pointed out the smoker, he went to him and, after a few minutes’ chat, returned and asked me if he could give us another table.”

Around 10pm on February 14, the couple walked into Sancho’s in Khar only to find that the eating area was occupied. They were offered to be served in the bar region but being pregnant, Manizeh expressed discomfort in sitting on the elevated bar seats. However, they were provided a comfortable sofa.

“He was sitting just five to six feet away from us. My husband and I asked the manager to request the man to stop smoking. Even if he was the owner, like the manager said, how does he get the right to smoke when he does not allow his guests to smoke?” Manizeh said.

However, the restaurant denies having witnessed any such incident on their premises. “I checked with our managers on duty at that time. We are sure no such incident happened,” said branch manager Collin Pareira.

She said that the man was so adamant that it did not even bother him that he was losing a customer. “After this argument, though we were offered another place to sit, we remained firm on our stand as it was not just discourteous but also illegal. So we called for the cheque and left mid-way through our meal,” said Manizeh.