CAPE CORAL, FLA.- A Cape Coral man said he and his service dog were denied service at a local restaurant.
A hefty claim since since the Americans with Disabilities Act states service animals are allowed with their owners in any public place.
Jared Fichtelberg calls his service dog his best friend and his life saver, but told Fox 4 when he brought him to Empire Buffet in Cape Coral the manager told him to leave. "She said 'no dog, no dog!'"
Jared said he tried explaining to her that Harvey is a service animal. "I showed her his little card with his ID with my name as the handler and she said, 'I'm here as manager for 15 years, no dog.'"
Fox 4 went back to the Empire Buffet to ask the manager about it. Nancy Xiao said she's managed the restaurant for 15 years and it's all a misunderstanding. She said she was talking to her children.
"I tell my two kids go away, because they see the dog and come over here."
She told Fox 4 they welcome service animals. "I welcome the dog here if it's a service dog, yeah."
But Jared Fichtelberg isn't buying it. He said he'll do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't happen again. "My intention now is to file a claim and sue the restaurant with the Americans with Disabilities Act."
