Aaron S.
Yelp
It actually pains me to reduce my rating of Rein's. I have been coming here since I was a child and it is among those few restaurants that I would call myself a regular at. I would estimate I am here 20 - 50 times a year usually eating the same things I enjoyed when here so many times with my mother of blessed memory. Unlike most family owned restaurants, Greg Rein has continued the tradition and excellence of his late father and uncle of great food, reasonable prices, outstanding service, and distinctive ambience. Which has kept me a loyal customer since the week they opened. And which is why I was so very disappointed today.
Continuing a New Year's tradition, went for brunch at Rein's on New Year's Day. One of the member's in my party had a nationally registered service animal who has also been to Rein's many times. The hostess was lovely and personable and sat as at a table in The Bronx. A partial wall made this an interior corner table which was perfect as the service animal could lie down completely out of the way between the chair and the wall instead of being under the table, her usual spot when in a restaurant, and constantly avoid being trampled by feet.
We were promptly greeted and asked about beverages which were nearly immediately served as well as a bowl of the usual delicious pickles. Our orders were taken by a characteristically kind and polite waitress. That was when everything went downhill. A smarmy manager who I never met before came to the table and told us the dog, who was quietly lying down in the corner disrupting nobody, had to be completely under the table. Seeing no reason for being confrontational I decided not to properly challenge her despite only days before being here when, at two separate tables, larger service animals who clearly could not fit under a table, were sitting calmly in the walkway between the tables. Like our service animal, their demeanor and behavior was exemplary and would not interfere with the dining pleasure of nearby patrons. Instead, we moved our dog to the less comfortable under table area.
Shortly thereafter our delicious food was served by the still amiable waitress. We began to enjoy our meals. The owner of the service dog who brings water and food for her hard working companion then placed a bowl of kibble that she had brought under the table. At that point, the manager doubled down and came over to disingenuously say "sorry to repeatedly bother you but you cannot feed your dog in the restaurant." Now, there is nothing in the CT or national ADA statutes which prohibit this and most restaurants actually go the extra mile by offering a bowl of water or even a dog friendly snack, but she was not even done yet. She went on to ask "and what exactly is the service that dog provides to you?"
Under federal statute, there are three questions that an establishment can ask prior to admitting a service animal and her question did approximate one of them; however, where the service animal had already been admitted to the restaurant and its behavior was impeccable, interrupting the meal to ask such questions in front of a dining room filled with people only served to embarrass a disabled individual with no other purpose except harassment. This behavior is at the very least despicable and amoral and at the extreme illegal.
Deciding to forego her right of privacy, the dog owner answered the question, picked up the bowl of kibble and returned it to her bag, and we finished our meals and left. But we left with a bad taste in our mouths; not from the food or the waitstaff service, but from the mistreatment and embarrassment of a person with a disability inflicted by a callous and uncaring manager. Which is miles apart from the friendly welcoming environment created by Bob, Bernie, Betty, and Greg and which has kept me coming back for over five decades.
