A woman who suffers from severe hearing loss and an eye condition which limits her vision has slammed a Paisley restaurant for not allowing her guide dog, Skye, in due to their staff suffering from 'life-threatening allergies'.
Kimmy Adams, 40, had planned to meet a friend for lunch at The Phat Bhuna, but the night before her friend received an email, seen by Glasgow Live, stating they'll not be able to take the booking.
The restaurant wrote: "Unfortunately we will not be able to take this booking as two of our staff members are allergic to dogs and suffer extreme allergic reactions. I'm deeply sorry for the inconvenience."
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But Kimmy, who lives in Paisley, said: "It made me feel so angry and humiliated. They tried to make me feel as if I’m not good enough to be there.
"We were going to go somewhere else but I cancelled because I wasn’t feeling up for it. Some people are saying I could go and eat somewhere else but they are missing the point.
"It’s about being treated equally and not being told to go away. I’d rather go somewhere where I was wanted and welcomed in the first place.
"They had notice so they could’ve done something about it."
The restaurant claims they offered an alternative date and time but Kimmy says they spoke with her friend, who made the original booking, and not her.
A spokesperson for The Phat Bhuna said: "The email does show that we refused, however I thought it was more appropriate for me to call the customer personally and ask her if she would like to come at an alternative time or day.
"We have been doing business for over 30 years and we do know the law about guide dogs. The only reason is because I have two staff members who are severely allergic to dogs and it’s life threatening. The customer was aware of this.
"I would never discriminate against anyone over their disabilities especially when I have someone very close to me with disabilities. The customer has only shown the email that I have sent however nothing mentioned about the phone call.
"If the customer was upset with us she could have easily resolved this by talking to us .
"She is more than welcome to dine with us and bring in her guide dog. This has been a very unfortunate misunderstanding that could have easily been resolved."
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