Singapore paralympic swimmer Sophie Soon shared about her experience at a Rocky Master outlet in Hougang, where she was allegedly told to sit outside the cafe because she had a guide dog with her.
She posted a video of the staff member clarifying with her management on the issue, as well as threatening to report Soon to the police if she posted the video.
Here is what Soon said
From “Guide dogs aren’t allowed” to “If you post any videos we will file a police report” and finally “You can stay if your dog is leashed, not fed, and if a customer does not complain about your dog.”
How many more times do guide dog users have to be discriminated for businesses finally understand the guide dog laws in Singapore?
We need a much larger intervention as we grow in numbers. And simply, they can’t keep getting away with treating us with such disrespect when ironically they’re the ones who are uneducated on the subject.
Cafe responds
Dear Ms Soon,
We thank you for choosing to patronize Rocky Master, and for giving us the opportunity to serve you and your family.
Rocky Master is a homegrown brand which has been Halal-certified since 2017. We aspire to be a great company of happy, healthy and successful people, where we will support one another to succeed and contribute positively towards the community. We strive to serve diners from all walks of life with our quick and casual dining concept. We do not discriminate any diner who chooses to patronize Rocky Master. However, we are mindful to be considerate towards other diners who might not be comfortable with certain dining environments. Hence, we ask that guide dogs be leashed (according to SFA and MUIS advisory) and preferably be seated at outdoor seating area where possible.
We endeavour to show respect and care for all our customers and make them feel welcome at our outlets. At the same time, we also care for the well-being of our staff member. In this incident, our staff may not be very experienced in handling such situations, but we are extremely grateful that she took a cautious approach to verify with her superior before making any commitment. Even under the circumstances of being filmed, she and the rest of the team maintained their composure and did their best to accommodate and fulfil your requests. We understand from our outlet manager that the staff was traumatized due to the incident. We have since reached out to our staff member to express our care and concern.
Let us work together to build a kinder society.