Big Mistakes

A Restaurant Booted a Decorated War Vet Because of His Service Dog

How rude!
How rude! Photo: adogslifephoto/Getty Images

This weekend, a retired Green Beret says he tried eating breakfast at Cochon Volant, an upscale brasserie in Chicago, and was told to leave because he had a service dog. Major Diggs Brown, a decorated 30-year Army veteran who actually works with wounded-vet nonprofits, uses his black Lab for support for his PTSD.

As he recounted for CBS Chicago:

“When my service dog and I walked in, the hostess took us to the table, and the young lady named Hannah, she said, ‘You can’t have a dog in the restaurant,’” Brown said. “I kept my cool and I said, ‘You know, it’s the American Disabilities Act. This is my service dog, he can go wherever I go, it’s the law.’ So I was seated, placed my order, then Hannah came over again and said I have to leave. I said, ‘It’s my service dog,’ and she said, ‘I don’t care, you need to leave, we don’t have dogs in the restaurant.’ I could go to the Department of Justice with this if we continue down this path.’”

Brown posted about the incident on Facebook, and outrage grew quickly, setting off a wave of one-star reviews on Cochon Volant’s wall and Yelp page. In response, the restaurant’s manager found Brown’s number and called him to personally apologize, and the establishment is making a donation to Puppies Behind Bars, the group that trained Arthur, and — in one of no fewer than two Facebook apologies this weekend — also promised to retrain employees:

We at Cochon Volant sincerely apologize for the unfortunate situation that occurred yesterday morning at our…Posted by Cochon Volant on Sunday, September 13, 2015

[Tribune, CBS Chicago]

A Restaurant Booted a Decorated War Vet Because of His Service Dog