No longer will nonsmokers have to walk past smokers as they enter most Starbucks stores.
The Seattle based coffee store chain began banning smoking within 25 feet of its stores Saturday, where permitted by its leases.
Company spokeswoman Jaime Lynn Riley says the intent is to expand the indoor no-smoking policy to the outdoor seating areas.
"If there were any concerns, we would hope to resolve it amicably.'' Riley said, referring to a customer who might be smoking within the restricted area.
The rule will apply to the 7,000 cafes owned and operated by Starbucks Corp., regardless of whether they have outdoor seating areas.
The policy shouldn't cause a big difference in many areas that already ban smoking within a certain distance of a business entrance.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.