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“Isn’t That Like A $60K Fine?”: Customer At Restaurant Is Asked To Leave As He Has Service Dog
Ever notice how some TikTok videos are like opening a can of worms? One minute you’re scrolling through catchy dance challenges or adorable pet videos, and the next, you’re deep in a heated debate about federal law.
Well, that’s exactly what happened when one TikToker shared his unexpected showdown with a restaurant manager over his service dog. What started as a simple dining experience quickly turned into a fiery online debate about federal law and disability rights.
More info: TikTok
RELATED:
Man with PTSD is refused service at restaurant because of his service dog, posts a video of his interaction with the manager on TikTok
Image credits: k9trainunit
Image credits: k9trainunit
“We don’t allow dogs in here”: restaurant manager tells customer with PTSD to take his service dog out of the restaurant
In the viral clip, which has racked up over 1M views, the TikToker found himself in an argument with a manager at a restaurant charmingly called Community Pie. The TikToker, who relies on a service dog, was simply trying to enjoy a meal inside the establishment. However, the manager, sticking to what he believed were the restaurant’s policies, insisted that dogs, service or not, were only allowed on the patio.
“We don’t allow dogs inside, no matter what,” the manager declared. The TikToker, clearly well-versed in the rights of service animals, pushed back, stating that the restaurant was violating federal law.
Image credits: k9trainunit
“You’re violating federal law”: the man knows his rights and informs the manager that he is breaking the law by refusing to serve him
For those who aren’t familiar, service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This means businesses must allow service animals almost anywhere the public can go, regardless of any ‘no pets’ policy. As the law states, “service animals are allowed in public facilities and accommodations. A service animal must be allowed to accompany the handler to any place in the building or facility where members of the public, program participants, customers, or clients are allowed. Even if the business or public program has a ‘no pets’ policy, it may not deny entry to a person with a service animal.”
Image credits: drobotdean (not the actual photo)
Service dogs differ from therapy or emotional support animals and don’t need special vests or documentation. According to the ADA, “Because service animals are not required to wear vests, a dog that is wearing a vest is not necessarily a service animal. The dog still needs to be trained to perform a task for a person with a disability to be a service animal.”
If a person asks for any documentation regarding a service animal, they are probably breaking the law as employees are only allowed to ask two questions: “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?” and “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?” The restaurant manager, however, went a bit far by asking for papers and making assumptions about the TikToker’s rights.
Image credits: Brian Wangenheim (not the actual photo)
Watch the full video here
@k9trainunitCommunity pie restaurant service animal refussal♬ original sound – K9 Train Unit
The video of the man being denied service by restaurant manager because of his service dog goes viral, receiving over 1 million views
The ending of the video has us all wondering about the outcome of this argument as it doesn’t provide any information on how the incident turned out. However, the TikToker later posted a follow-up video saying that he had received a message from the manager’s mother. The concerned mom explained that her son was still learning and assured the TikToker that the restaurant was taking steps to educate their staff about service animals.
The TikToker noted that the restaurant had sent him an apology and promised to improve their practices and train their staff regarding service animals, but he would not be taking down his video.
This is not an isolated case as people with service animals often face similar issues, despite the laws that are in place for their protection. ADA violations can lead to hefty fines, more specifically $75,000 for the first violation and up to $150,000 for following ones.
The viral video sparked an online debate with the public’s reactions ranging from support for the TikToker to criticism of the restaurant’s handling of the situation. Some netizens expressed their frustration over the lack of awareness about service animal rights, especially among service industry workers. One comment aptly asked: “How does anyone, corporate or privately owned, not know this law?”.
While for the hospitality industry workers, it may be about avoiding huge fines, for people facing these challenges every day, it’s about more than that. For them, standing up for their rights is about making sure that people with disabilities can navigate public spaces with the same ease and dignity as everyone else.
While more often than not, TikTok serves up light-hearted content, the platform can be a great way of pointing the spotlight on more serious topics, just like the one presented in this viral video. So, next time you see a service dog in a restaurant, remember that they’re not just pets but lifelines for their handlers. And everyone deserves a seat at the table, paws and all.
Who do you think was wrong in this story? Let us know in the comments.
Netizens are outraged by the manager’s refusal to serve the man because of his service dog, saying that people should educate themselves on the law
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What do you think ?
HTakeover 1 year ago
Having trained actual, certified service dogs for kids with autism... is this an actual service dog with papers (even if you don't have to show 'em) or is it a therapy/comfort dog? The former are expensive as hell and are protected by ADA, that latter aren't. There's a world of difference in training and how the dog acts, and I'm constantly battling people who buy a generic vest on Amazon & call their large rat a "service" dog just 'cause they don't want to be without the pocket pooch with separation anxiety, and are ruining it for the people who actually do have a real one.
Mike F 1 year ago
I retired from a place that did medical transportation (to and from medical appointments) and people tried this all the time. We had one woman who had 2 65+ pound mutts that she called service dogs. When I asked what service they perform I was told that they are necessary. I then said she had to supply travel crates for each animal, and pay a $145 cleaning fee because we also transported people with trachs and allergies. She called her insurance company (who handled the Medicaid in her area) who told her that we weren't doing anything against the rules. Oddly, I never heard another word about those dogs. The folks we transported who NEEDED the service animals never seemed to be able to get them.
Load More Replies...
Barry Fruitman 1 year ago
Documentation should be required. There are too many people that take advantage and lie.
Wolf Glitter 1 year ago
If someone lies and their dog misbehaves they can be asked to leave. I have a service dog. If he has a "bad" day such as diarrhea and I chose to take him out, I know we will be asked to leave if he has an accident. We've had other "service" dogs bark at us. It's bad when people lie but to create more barriers for disabled people is cruel. Many people are on waiting lists for service animals whose training can be $15k. Some try to use private trainers that still might be in the thousands of dollars. And some try to self train which is extremely hard to do in the best situations - and this person is trying to do it while disabled.
Load More Replies...
dremetrius 1 year ago
Please look up the rules for service dogs in your area, y'all. From the ADA website for the US: A service animal must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. [...] A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.
KATHY 1 year ago
The dog must also stay on the floor....not the table, not the chair....and a person can usually tell if it's a real SD....they are focused and ignore everyone but their master....the dog I saw sniffing the meat case in a grocery store or the one riding in the cart are NOT SDs and should never be in a store....
Load More Replies...
Renee Haas 1 year ago
In my humble opinion if a person has a business that serves the public then the owner/manager should know the laws about serving the public.
JayWantsACat 1 year ago
Did the manager go over the line a bit? Sure. But to me the real a******s are the people who fake their animals being service pets and/or who label their pets "emotional support" animals when they just want to be able to take them wherever they want. They're the reason people have doubts about animals even when they actually are what their owners say they are. Just a******s ruining things for everyone so I don't really blame anyone in this story.
KATHY 1 year ago
Exactly!! The reason that this guy is even getting questioned is because of all the people who think fluffy needs to go everywhere with 'mamma'.....it has gotten WAY out of control and most people are REALLY sick of it....untrained dogs have attacked real SDs in stores which usually ruins the SD....dogs don't belong in stores, dogs don't belong anywhere that food is sold or prepared....they don't belong in playgrounds, they don't belong at large festivals, they don't belong ANYWHERE where they can harass wildlife, they don't belong in planes.....and they should ALWAYS be on a leash when anywhere in public....
Load More Replies...
Bette 1 year ago
The biggest problem for people with legitimate service animals is the vast number of others who have purchased vests to slap onto regular UNTRAINED pets and label them as "emotional support" animals.......however comforting a pet may be. A service animal is highly trained to a specific working purpose and matched with a person with a legitimate diagnosis. When working (usually in harness) the service animal is trained to ignore other animals and should not be approached by people wanting to pet it. It is WORKING. A service animal may LEGALLY enter buildings if business whereas I would take exception to emotional support animals as they are not professionally trained and technically, pets.
Grenelda Thurber 1 year ago
I agree. So many people don't understand the difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal, and plenty of others are happy to take advantage of that. Sure, I'm totally buying that you can't cope with grocery shopping if you're not allowed to bring along your emotional support Komodo dragon.
Load More Replies... Renee Haas 1 year ago
In my humble opinion if a person has a business then the owner/manager should know what the laws are concerning serving the public.
Britt Flea 1 year ago (edited)
REAL SERVICE ANIMAL USERS, WE GET IT..........EVERYONE ELSE WHO KNOWS WHO THEY ARE....Businesses have enough to deal with normal customers, unfortunately for people with their dog everywhere with you, guess what LOTS of other people have pets, dogs, horses, cats etc. And they stay at home! People pay a lot of money when they go out to eat, they do not want to eat beside your animal. Sorry this is news to you. So many attention seekers with their pets. Stop exploiting animals for your personal gain. Literally love your pets to the point of abusive behavior and unnatural situations for them to have to be in for your comfort... dressed up animal abuse. If you love your animal so much stay at home with them and order doordash. No one is special. We all accept it. Stop forcing yourself on everyone.
KATHY 1 year ago
Yes....and dog owners seems to think the rules don't apply to them and take dogs even if there are signs prohibiting dogs...it's become total insanity!! Leave your mutt home!! Lots of people are allergic, are deathly afraid or just plain hate dogs!! It's just attention seeking imo....if you can't leave the house without your dog, get a therapist!!
Load More Replies...
Clare Moore 1 year ago
We are in the UK. My daughter has a paralysed stomach, dysfunctional digestive system and early stages of heart failure. She’s 24. Without her medical alert dog she would be housebound as it’s not safe for her to go out alone. He is fully certified and trained, he barks 3 high pitched ones to alert before she drops to the floor. Well she would literally drop if he didn’t give her that warning. We get asked to sit elsewhere in places, and it’s fine. The only time we ask for additional accommodations is if there is a specific dog friendly area as it can be overwhelming and distracting. I agree that a lot of people have made it nigh on impossible for actual medical alert dogs, as every Tom d**k and harry wants their pooch with them all the time but it makes it so hard for my daughter to have a life. Her dog is also tolerance trained. Any nervous dog or person and one word from my daughter and he will back away, tuck close to her walking frame or wheelchair and actually not look at them.
HTakeover 1 year ago
Having trained actual, certified service dogs for kids with autism... is this an actual service dog with papers (even if you don't have to show 'em) or is it a therapy/comfort dog? The former are expensive as hell and are protected by ADA, that latter aren't. There's a world of difference in training and how the dog acts, and I'm constantly battling people who buy a generic vest on Amazon & call their large rat a "service" dog just 'cause they don't want to be without the pocket pooch with separation anxiety, and are ruining it for the people who actually do have a real one.
Mike F 1 year ago
I retired from a place that did medical transportation (to and from medical appointments) and people tried this all the time. We had one woman who had 2 65+ pound mutts that she called service dogs. When I asked what service they perform I was told that they are necessary. I then said she had to supply travel crates for each animal, and pay a $145 cleaning fee because we also transported people with trachs and allergies. She called her insurance company (who handled the Medicaid in her area) who told her that we weren't doing anything against the rules. Oddly, I never heard another word about those dogs. The folks we transported who NEEDED the service animals never seemed to be able to get them.
Load More Replies... Barry Fruitman 1 year ago
Documentation should be required. There are too many people that take advantage and lie.
Wolf Glitter 1 year ago
If someone lies and their dog misbehaves they can be asked to leave. I have a service dog. If he has a "bad" day such as diarrhea and I chose to take him out, I know we will be asked to leave if he has an accident. We've had other "service" dogs bark at us. It's bad when people lie but to create more barriers for disabled people is cruel. Many people are on waiting lists for service animals whose training can be $15k. Some try to use private trainers that still might be in the thousands of dollars. And some try to self train which is extremely hard to do in the best situations - and this person is trying to do it while disabled.
Load More Replies... dremetrius 1 year ago
Please look up the rules for service dogs in your area, y'all. From the ADA website for the US: A service animal must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. [...] A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.
KATHY 1 year ago
The dog must also stay on the floor....not the table, not the chair....and a person can usually tell if it's a real SD....they are focused and ignore everyone but their master....the dog I saw sniffing the meat case in a grocery store or the one riding in the cart are NOT SDs and should never be in a store....
Load More Replies... Renee Haas 1 year ago
In my humble opinion if a person has a business that serves the public then the owner/manager should know the laws about serving the public.
JayWantsACat 1 year ago
Did the manager go over the line a bit? Sure. But to me the real a******s are the people who fake their animals being service pets and/or who label their pets "emotional support" animals when they just want to be able to take them wherever they want. They're the reason people have doubts about animals even when they actually are what their owners say they are. Just a******s ruining things for everyone so I don't really blame anyone in this story.
KATHY 1 year ago
Exactly!! The reason that this guy is even getting questioned is because of all the people who think fluffy needs to go everywhere with 'mamma'.....it has gotten WAY out of control and most people are REALLY sick of it....untrained dogs have attacked real SDs in stores which usually ruins the SD....dogs don't belong in stores, dogs don't belong anywhere that food is sold or prepared....they don't belong in playgrounds, they don't belong at large festivals, they don't belong ANYWHERE where they can harass wildlife, they don't belong in planes.....and they should ALWAYS be on a leash when anywhere in public....
Load More Replies... Bette 1 year ago
The biggest problem for people with legitimate service animals is the vast number of others who have purchased vests to slap onto regular UNTRAINED pets and label them as "emotional support" animals.......however comforting a pet may be. A service animal is highly trained to a specific working purpose and matched with a person with a legitimate diagnosis. When working (usually in harness) the service animal is trained to ignore other animals and should not be approached by people wanting to pet it. It is WORKING. A service animal may LEGALLY enter buildings if business whereas I would take exception to emotional support animals as they are not professionally trained and technically, pets.
Grenelda Thurber 1 year ago
I agree. So many people don't understand the difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal, and plenty of others are happy to take advantage of that. Sure, I'm totally buying that you can't cope with grocery shopping if you're not allowed to bring along your emotional support Komodo dragon.
Load More Replies... Renee Haas 1 year ago
In my humble opinion if a person has a business then the owner/manager should know what the laws are concerning serving the public.
Britt Flea 1 year ago (edited)
REAL SERVICE ANIMAL USERS, WE GET IT..........EVERYONE ELSE WHO KNOWS WHO THEY ARE....Businesses have enough to deal with normal customers, unfortunately for people with their dog everywhere with you, guess what LOTS of other people have pets, dogs, horses, cats etc. And they stay at home! People pay a lot of money when they go out to eat, they do not want to eat beside your animal. Sorry this is news to you. So many attention seekers with their pets. Stop exploiting animals for your personal gain. Literally love your pets to the point of abusive behavior and unnatural situations for them to have to be in for your comfort... dressed up animal abuse. If you love your animal so much stay at home with them and order doordash. No one is special. We all accept it. Stop forcing yourself on everyone.
KATHY 1 year ago
Yes....and dog owners seems to think the rules don't apply to them and take dogs even if there are signs prohibiting dogs...it's become total insanity!! Leave your mutt home!! Lots of people are allergic, are deathly afraid or just plain hate dogs!! It's just attention seeking imo....if you can't leave the house without your dog, get a therapist!!
Load More Replies... Clare Moore 1 year ago
We are in the UK. My daughter has a paralysed stomach, dysfunctional digestive system and early stages of heart failure. She’s 24. Without her medical alert dog she would be housebound as it’s not safe for her to go out alone. He is fully certified and trained, he barks 3 high pitched ones to alert before she drops to the floor. Well she would literally drop if he didn’t give her that warning. We get asked to sit elsewhere in places, and it’s fine. The only time we ask for additional accommodations is if there is a specific dog friendly area as it can be overwhelming and distracting. I agree that a lot of people have made it nigh on impossible for actual medical alert dogs, as every Tom d**k and harry wants their pooch with them all the time but it makes it so hard for my daughter to have a life. Her dog is also tolerance trained. Any nervous dog or person and one word from my daughter and he will back away, tuck close to her walking frame or wheelchair and actually not look at them.
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