November 20, 2015
A New Jersey veteran says he was "embarrassed" Thursday when he, his wife and his service dog were turned away from a restaurant in Burlington County, NJ.com reports.
Mike Alcorn, his wife Meg and his 1 1/2-year-old German shepherd Atlas went to Fortune Cookie restaurant in Medford in the afternoon to eat.
The combat veteran reportedly relies on his dog to help ease his post-traumatic stress disorder as well as other physical issues resulting from his service in the Army.
The couple said that despite Atlas' red service vest, federal ID cards, and the fact Mike cited laws prohibiting businesses from turning away customers with service dogs, an employee insisted dogs were not allowed in their establishment and would not seat them.
"He said, 'If you want food, you can wait outside,'" Alcorn's wife told NJ.com. She added that the man then requested they step aside so he could help another customer who walked in.
An employee at Fortune Cookie told NJ.com that the restaurant does not allow any dogs inside due to health code regulations. According to NJ.com, the employee was not aware of federal or state laws regarding service dogs.
Read more from NJ.com here.
