Yesterday we brought you the story of a Georgia man who said he was wrongly kicked out of a Popeyes restaurant because of his service dog. And while the restaurant chain is sticking by its side of the story, it has released an official apology to the customer.

“After reviewing all of the facts, I think we could have handled the situation better,” a Popeyes rep tells the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “In an effort to avoid further conflict, the manager attempted to defuse the situation by asking the guest with the service dog to leave. In doing so, we regretfully offended him.”

The restaurant had alleged that the reason the man was asked to leave — and the reason the police were called — was that the customer had gotten into a verbal altercation with other customers whose children were frightened by the dog. The customer has denied this, saying no such argument took place.

Popeyes HQ says it has reviewed surveillance footage from inside the restaurant but declined the AJC request to review it.

“We have contacted the guest to offer our sincere apology and to invite him back to show him we can do better,” continues the Popeyes statement. “We always strive to provide the very best food and service — to ensure that we continue to do so, we are retraining our managers to remind them of their responsibilities and of our excellent service standards.”

Also being looked into are the actions of the local police officer who, according to his own report, told the customer to leave the restaurant because he was on private property. The customer claims the officer refused to review documents regarding his service dog.

Popeyes apologizes to man with service dog [AJC.com]

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