Service refusal of disabled person

Earlier this afternoon, I had what one can only call an unpleasant and unnecessary experience at a Mugg & Bean outlet.

I was in the Cape Town CBD, to take care of some business. My wife, who is visually disabled, and travels with a trained guide dog, was with me. Afterwards, we decided to stop at the Mugg & Bean, On-The-Go, St Georges Mall, where we were refused service - because of my wife's dog. We tried explaining that this was a service dog and hence was allowed in, but this was met with obstinance. I then asked the staff to call the manager so that we could resolve the issue.

I was told that the manager was "out". I asked them to call the manager and said that I would wait. The staff returned to doing whatever it was that they had previously being doing and it became obvious that they were not going to call the manager, so I told them that I would be taking the matter further, and left.

At the moment, I am feeling both angry and sad - angry that my wife was discriminated against and made to feel "second class"; sad that despite having a constitution that protects our disabled, they interact with the rest of our community, with this shadow lurking in the background.

Will my "rant" make any difference? I really don't know! Apologies will probably be offered (and accepted) - but will there be any real effort to make a change?