Here are the basics of what your staff should know:
Customers can bring psychiatric service animals into restaurants everywhere in the country. The ADA supersedes any local health department regulations banning animals. When a psychiatric service animal accompanies a customer, restaurant staff are only permitted to ask two questions:
- Is this a psychiatric service animal?
- What work or tasks is the animal trained to perform?
• The law states that the psychiatric service animal be trained to relieve symptoms of one or more of your mental health symptoms”
It’s important to note that employees are not allowed to question the customer about their ADA-protected disability, which may not be readily visible or available for a demonstration. This is a matter of respect and sensitivity towards the customer. It’s crucial to remember that customers with psychiatric service animals can’t be seated apart from other diners, such as in a private dining room— that’s a form of discrimination. Even ADA-compliant psychiatric service animals can occasionally be problematic in restaurants due to the lack of an acceptable standard for training. If a service animal, for instance, jumps in a patron’s lap, eats from the table, or messes the floor without the handler taking effective action to control it, restaurant staff can ask that the psychiatric service animal be removed from the premises. However, it’s important to remember that the human customer must still be accommodated, such as by offering the food for takeout or asking them to return without the service animal. This underlines the staff’s responsibility to maintain a professional and respectful attitude in all situations.
Works Cited
Assoc., R. B. (2013). Animals in Restaurants: What to Know. Restaurant Business, pp. 16,19.
