Woman with guide dog denied entry at Subway, receives apology from company

Singapore – A woman requiring a guide dog took to Facebook to share her plight with the public after she was denied entry at a Subway outlet due to a lack of awareness from a staff member.

On Thursday (August 13), Sophie Soon uploaded a video of their encounter with the employee at a Subway branch at Kallang Wave Mall. The staff could be heard telling two individuals to wait in the corner as he took out his phone. According to Ms Soon, she was not only denied entry, but the employee also refused to talk to her directly. He allegedly yelled at her for trying to get him to talk to her instead of her friend. “He insisted that Subway is a Halal restaurant and guide dogs are not supported by MIUS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura).”

She included a note that guide dogs, were, in fact, allowed at Halal restaurants, based on a MIUS advisory. It states that “Guide Dogs are the guiding eyes for people who cannot see and Halal restaurants do not prohibit the access of Guide Dogs.”

In a follow-up post on Friday, Ms Soon uploaded screenshots of Subway Singapore reaching out to her to apologise for the incident. “Subway is an inclusive brand, and we welcome people of all abilities,” read the message. The company confirmed that guide dogs were allowed in their restaurants under MIUS guidelines and very much welcomed.

“We will be taking the opportunity to educate our restaurant teams both around guide dogs and how we can support any customers with a disability,” said Subway.

Ms Soon gave another update noting that Subway had expressed their sincerest apologies for what she had to face and had said that action would be taken against the employee. The Guide Dogs Singapore team, along with Ms Soon would be meeting with the Subway staff next week to educate further and boost awareness on such issues. Subway also gave Ms Soon a free meal as a kind gesture.

She thanked the public for helping spread awareness about guide dogs. “We’re making Singapore a truly more inclusive place.”

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