You're welcome ;)

Good for TGIFriday's for actually taking something seriously and fixing the problem. Now if they didn't serve horrible prepackaged food I would actually eat there.

good for the patrons that went to the next restaurant with them. I would hopefully do the same.

From the original Daily Herald article:

"Greenberg said others in the restaurant overheard the exchange and got up and went with them to a restaurant nearby."

I'm glad to hear that others who witnessed the incident chose to take even such simple action. I hope they fully enjoyed their alternate meals.

Jeez nice birthday. If I was the friend or parent with them I would have just rolled, err - walked right on in and sat the hell down.

If the ignorant host on duty complained or asked for management backup there HAD to have been SOME staff on duty that would say "chill out they're fine"

That and any PATRON in the place would stand up as well. If I was sitting at TGI Fridays waiting for a table or seated and saw this go down I sure as hell would say to

I'm curious WHERE the other staff was (or patrons) who would have stepped in?

But then again having the initial interaction of denial might have soured my mood so much I wouldn't WANT to stay.

@JO3MOMMA: Seriously, I'm not going to not go to Friday's because some manager in West Viriginia screwed up. I'm not going to go because their food sucks.

I think I may be stretching a bit, here, but this fits into my single greatest pet peeve: people given a tiny bit of responsibility who think that they are now the HMFIC of the universe... generally restaurant managers don't take the bait, but a couple of those that do:

Parking lot traffic directors
Home Depot Security

When confronted with common sense, always refer back to the rules you think ought to be in place! No dogs, dammit! It's a restaurant for crying out loud! ADA paperwork? Don't bother me with the facts, I RUN this Friday's, dammit!

This time I have to agree with the restaurant. Please read the following taken directly from the ADA act. This pet does not qualify.

The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.

Q: What is a service animal?

A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.

Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. "Seeing eye dogs" are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:

_____Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.

_____ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.

_____Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.

just read the above. Good for them. I would have joined them.

TGI-Fridays issued the following statment later that day:

"Oh yeah, we are also sorry for towing their car out of the handicap space......our bad"

Why would you think that someone doesn't need the companion if they have someone with them? Granted in this case it was the person's parents, but in general, a person shouldn't have to rely on other people--that's what the dog is for!

So disabled people can't go out to eat with friends and family? How stupid...

Violating ADA requirements is not a good thing. Think of hefty fines, for one.

I'm kinda tossed in the middle with this. On one hand, I can't believe people assume TGIF is doing this out of compassion, and not for trying to prevent a multimillion legal castration, but on the other hand, I can't blame the guy if this the first time he's actually had to deal with the ADA in real life. Aside from the required reading he no doubtly had to read (probably years before the incident),how clear are the actual requirements? Do they have exclusions? Does it say "x is not required to allow y type of helper animal for z reason"? Did anyone explain to him that part during the incident?

From the DOJ link on the post:
//
Q: What if a service animal barks or growls at other people, or otherwise acts out of control?

A: You may exclude any animal, including a service animal, from your facility when that animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others. For example, any service animal that displays vicious behavior towards other guests or customers may be excluded. You may not make assumptions, however, about how a particular animal is likely to behave based on your past experience with other animals. Each situation must be considered individually.

Although a public accommodation may exclude any service animal that is out of control, it should give the individual with a disability who uses the service animal the option of continuing to enjoy its goods and services without having the service animal on the premises.

Q: Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
//

Those two, even from just a FAQ, could have been reasons he decided the animal shouldn't be allowed, even if wrong decisions.

@JPinCLE: HMFIC?

I'm glad Friday's came to their senses, though I do think the dog was trying to take advantage when he wanted to light up a cigarette in the non-smoking section

TGI Fridays makes my tummy feel yucky. :(

What kind of bubble does someone grow up in to have no understanding of an assistance animal?

Anyone given the responsibility to manage anything should have a copy of the ADA rules stapled to their forehead. Ok, making them read and understand them would probably work for most people.

@cde:

I've been in restaurants, hotels, airports, on the local bus, and even had a service dog TRAIN here at my work for a few months - and can't ever recall one incident where the dog was disruptive or barked at anyone.

Yeah. The whole reason the service dogs are trained is to avoid the whole bark, growl, etc. thing.

I might be biased. Used to raise pups for the local guide dog school and folks I know often use guide dogs. I also waited tables for 10+ years and can tell you with some kind of certainty that most intelligent restaurant types are well-versed in guide dogs and the law, especially for dealing with whiny patrons with issues about the presence of service dogs just because they're dogs.

That said, I feel like said restaurant manager is a jerk who should rot in hell. I'm already on the "i don't eat there because the food sucks" tip, but if this is the kind of "talent" they're hiring to "manage" their restaurants, apologizing is a wonderful sign and all but their problems are more systemic.

(And, yeah, I watched a Starbucks manager get fired for doing this once. Wouldn't be inappropriate.)

They said they were sorry and fired the offending manager.

Seems to me that they "took it seriously".

@bohemian: I live in a metropolis (Near NYC, frequent trips there as well), and in the last 15 years have yet to even see a assistance animal outside of that one time in middle school where we had someone come in.

@jamesdenver:
@algormortis:
I'm not saying that it was being disruptive, but just trying to see why the Manager would not allow it in.

I don't think I can forgive TGI Friday's on this one. It's easy to save some money on ADA training in the first place, and then make profuse apologies later. They should have spent the money on training everyone about the ADA properly to begin with.

@cde: He didn't let the dog in because he was an idiot. I'm glad he got fired.

@cde: I live in DC, and see an assistance animal on the Metro at least once or twice a month.

@jamesdenver: Actually, if it wasn't a birthday, I'm sure someone would have been tempted to. I would have loved to see the police be called, the mother show the ADA card, and the police to look at the manager and say, "what's the problem?"

Hopefully someone who has the authority to make sure that this restaurant receives the fine it's due read the newspaper or the Consumerist.

@cde: I think that example number 2 is probably intended for things like rides at theme parks and cat-only day-care centers, not TGI Fridays.

damn straight that TGIF should act the way it is. They totally violated the ADA and the person's civil rights. Of course theyre doing what theyre doing...trying to avoid a costly lawsuit or at least mitigate the damages.

@cde: Actually, both of the given FAQ answers seem to pretty clearly say that the dog should be allowed in, but could then be removed if it became a disruption. The first example says you can't assume that this dog will be a disruption just because other dogs have been in the past. The second says that normally, a service animal will not be a disruption in and of itself at a restaurant. . . . .

The manager was an idiot and deserved to get fired.

From all the customer service jobs I had in my youth, quite a few of them in corporate-run chains, the training videos (pre-ADA, even) were always very specific: Do everything reasonable to accommodate a disabled customer, do not question or challenge their disability or support requests, service animals ALWAYS permitted. I can't believe that's changed much in the past 20-some years.

i suggest preparing for scenarios like this ahead of time. knowing how well service dogs are trained, i would think it's pretty easy to train them to shit on command. next time something like this happens, give the manager a wink and say the word "shit" with authority. be sure to have a puppy treat with you for a job well done.

@j03m0mma: "What, you guys brought me to Friday's? Geez, blind doesn't mean I can't taste."

@cde: Question 1 is a moot point. As far as we know, the dog neither barked nor bit another customer. Nowhere is it suggested that a manager can preemptively keep a guide dog out for fear of a threat. As for Q2, how the hell would accommodating a guide require "fundamental alteration to the nature of the business" (emphasis mine, obviously). It really helps to understand what you quote.

TGI Friday so I have the rest of the weekend to recover from my meal.

I fail to see what the purpose of the companion dog is for this girl.

According to the article the girl cannot walk or talk. She is still perfectly capable of hearing and seeing, and I seriously doubt the dog is for pulling her wheelchair around.

There are lawyers who make their money getting disabled people to go and cause scenes at businesses so that the lawyer can sue based on disability laws.

I am always amazed at all the sheep who blindly side with the party in which the article clearly sides with.

@guroth: I don't think it's a matter of whether she NEEDS the dog or not...she obviously has one, and as she is disabled, how she is disabled should not matter since she does have a service dog, and it isn't just any animal, it's a trained service animal.

@spinachdip: Eh, I should RTFA too.

The key is companion animal. Look it up, a companion animal provides no service or assistance to the disabled. It is not qualified under the ADA act. This pet is not entitled as a seeing eye, guide dog or other animal trained to assist the individual to overcome the disability of the individual.

The store where I work often has companion dogs in-training there with the trainer. They wear a coat that indicates "Companion Dog In-Training. Do not Touch or Pet". One trainer told me they are taken to a variety of public places to acclimate them and teach them not to bark or react to anyone. They really become a one person dog and, in this case, would help the girl maybe pick up things for her and would be a source of happiness. TGIF no doubt fired the manager in charge to show regret and avoid a suit.

@muki-muki: I don't see your point here?

@cde:

Ya know I think I knew from age seven that guide dogs exist, not to pet or play with them, and that they get a pass when accompanying a special needs person. Doesn't every grade school at one point have a guide dog come in for a visit?

And I honestly CAN'T think of a business where a service dog would disrupt "the fundamental nature of the business."

From a movie theater to a natatorium to a Arby's to a brothel. MAYBE an indoor squirrel park might be an exception. But everywhere else the dogs just sit there at attention.

For someone to not understand the basic concept baffles me. Sheer stupidity.

@guroth:

Hey I agree. Not every kid needs a service dog at their side all the time, or at all. This is a perfect example of going overboard with service dogs:

[www.futuregringo.com]

But that's irrelevant in this case. The kid HAS the dog, and common courtesy and the law says we should accommodate them in a respectful manner.

And I HIGHLY doubt this kid was being toted around as a prop or settlement cash-machine in waiting.

@guroth: Assistance animals are more than just seeing eye dogs. They can get doors, pick up things and grab telephones.

@jamesdenver: You don't know the kids full condition or what the dog does for them. All we know is what's in the paper.

@muki-muki: A: "The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government."

@guroth: According to the DOJ faq linked in the post, some service animals are intended for just that, pulling or helping people in wheelchairs out.
//_____ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.//

@muki-muki: If this is true, and the dog is a "companion animal"
[www.iaadp.org]
//
Most animals, including but not limited to those labeled Companion Animals, Emotional Support Animals and Therapy Animals or pets are NOT service animals according to ADA's Definition, as they have NOT been individually trained to perform disability mitigating tasks. Thus their handlers do not legally qualify for public access rights. Typically these animals also lack the months of training on obedience and manners needed to behave properly under challenging conditions in places of public accommodation.
//
[www.servicecompanions.com]
//
Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself.
//

Sure, the manager had no way of knowing if the retriever was a Service or Companion animal, and should have assumed the protected instead of unprotected, but has the family been falsly claiming ADA benefits?

I may be biased because my kid's a wheelchair kid, but I think if you're blind and can't walk, and are therefore isolated on a level that few people experience in their lives, a companion dog may be a necessary source of comfort. Particularly for a teenager. Muki-Muki is correct about the legal differentiation between companion animal & guide dog, but in this case it sucks.

"This is something we're taking seriously."

Thank God for TISFridays!

@jamesdenver: I did get that school visit, as I had mentioned.

@youbastid: TakingItSeriously Fridays?

@morganlh85: I think the point is that there is a legal distinction between a service dog and a companion dog. The former is certified and trained, and identified with a vest, the latter may or may not be trained, and not certified. The former has access to public places guaranteed by the ADA, the latter does not. In this case, it looks like the companion dog was trained to serve as a de facto service dog, but wasn't protected by the ADA.

But I think it's a moot point here. Based on the employee's rationale, the companion dog would have been allowed if not for the human companions. That means the restaurant saw the dog as a service dog and they clearly did not see the dog as a threat or disruption. In that case, why would you leave the dog out?

So it's not so much the legality but the stupidity.

@cde: Head Mother Fucker In Charge