ANKENY, Iowa — Dough Co. Pizza in Ankeny is apologizing to patrons after staff members told a family their service dog was not allowed inside the restaurant last week.
The restaurant owners acknowledged in a Facebook post that staff members were not properly trained to handle service animals in restaurants.
"We have made this apology to the family involved but also wanted to make it clear to our valued customers and to the public that we apologize for the distress and inconvenience caused to the family and their service dog," the post reads.
Under The Americans with Disabilities Act, businesses open to the public "must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is allowed to go."
"We deeply value inclusivity and ensuring that all customers feel welcome and respected," the owners said in the post.
The restaurant said it intends to re-educate and retrain staff to ensure they understand the legal requirements and importance of accommodating people with disabilities.
"We recognize the importance of learning from this incident and taking it as an opportunity to improve and grow as a team," the post said. "We want to assure all our customers that we are dedicated to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone, and we will do everything in our power to prevent similar occurrences in the future."
