How to handle fake emotional support animals in restaurants
Restaurant staff face legal threats and lawsuits when they try to stop guests from bringing untrained animals into dining areas. These confrontations make it difficult to maintain sanitary conditions and protect the business from predatory legal settlements.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Asking guests the legally allowed ADA screening questions about whether the animal is required for a disability and what specific task it is trained to perform
- 2Denying entry based on the animal disrupting business or misbehaving (such as pooping or jumping on tables)
- 3Printing and distributing laminated half sheets of ADA codes to inform customers of rules against non-service animals
- 4Standing ground against complaints and threats of lawsuits
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“We've been getting a lot of emotional support animals lately. The latest was a bichon frise wearing a dress, jumping on the table and pooping in our booth.”source ↗
“Amen, I've been going round and round with guests about their emotional support animals.”source ↗
“Been threatened a couple dozen times so far.”source ↗
“I've been sued twice for this. Usually they are looking for a quick settlement and have a lawyer ready”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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