today, my family and i went to the gainesville, ga restaurant. i am legally blind and have a seizure disorder due to a rare brain condition. i am accompanied by my service dog who keeps me calm, alerts for impending seizures, and helps curb the attacks.
the manager at this location was extremely coarse, rude, and went past being unaccommodating. buddy, my service dog, has to be within my sight for him to properly alert me and to perform his job tasks effectively. the manager demanded that he be put under the table on the /extremely/ dirty floor. i informed him of my medical condition and that buddy will lay on his towel in the seat next to me. never touching food, never barking, never disturbing any other patrons.
he stated that wasn't allowed, and that corporate office says otherwise. this is a violation of the americans with disabilities act revised in 2011. service animals are allowed /anywhere/ that customers are allowed. the /only/ accommodations that are not /required/ by the business is to feed / water / clean up after a service animal.
the manager repeatedly harassed me, and even after asking the tables around us if buddy was causing an issue, the manager persisted. he blatantly refused to give us his name in order to report him.
all the patrons at the restaurant were dismayed by his behavior, his disrespect, and downright abhorrent attitude.
this is completely unacceptable behavior for anyone in the service industry. service animals are legally considered medical equipment. would you demand a patron with an oxygen tank to put it on a dirty, uncleaned floor? i highly doubt it.
this is being reported the ada along with the better business bureau.
the manager's callous behavior did cause me to have a seizure, as stress often does. this is a crime. this is discrimination. this is unbelievably /wrong/.
this will be shared on every social media avenue i have available, because no disabled person should ever have to be treated this way.