The Popeyes restaurant chain said Monday it has apologized to the college student asked to leave a Cobb County location because he had his service dog with him.
Taylor Gipson, 20, has Type 1 diabetes and relies on a British Lab named Bear to alert him to rises or drops in his blood sugar levels, he told the AJC. But during a recent visit to the Popeyes on Windy Hill Road near Marietta, Gipson was asked to leave by the store manager, who then called police.
"After reviewing all of the facts, I think we could have handled the situation better," Wendy Harkness, chief legal officer for Popeyes' parent company, told the AJC in a statement Monday. "In an effort to avoid further conflict, the manager attempted to defuse the situation by asking the guest with the service dog to leave. In doing so, we regretfully offended him."
The restaurant claims that Gipson was involved with a confrontation with another customer in the restaurant, which he denies. He has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice over his civil rights, he said. Because Bear is a trained service dog, he is allowed to accompany Gipson just about everywhere he goes, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Still, a Cobb County police officer also told Gipson he would have to leave the restaurant, Gipson said. The incident is under review by the police department, a spokesman told the AJC.
Gipson told the AJC his family is considering a lawsuit against the restaurant to address the way he was treated.
"We have contacted the guest to offer our sincere apology and to invite him back to show him we can do better," the statement from Popeyes continued. "We always strive to provide the very best food and service – to ensure that we continue to do so, we are retraining our managers to remind them of their responsibilities and of our excellent service standards."
The restaurant says it has surveillance video footage of the incident involving Gipson, but declined a request by the AJC to view the video.
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