Restaurant refuses Iraq War Veteran and service dog

When James Glaser stepped into Big I’s Restaurant in Oxford, Massachusetts with his service dog Jack, he was quickly told to leave in no uncertain terms. Glaser, a 41-year-old Air Force veteran, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in November of 2011 when he retired and says that he does not leave his house without Jack by his side. The veteran explained what happened to WHDH 7 News, “I hear, ‘Get that fake service dog out of my restaurant!.’” Big I’s owner, Russell Ireland didn’t consider the canine a true service dog and said, “This is a post-traumatic stress dog. It's to give him emotional support. How much emotional support do you need when you are eating breakfast?”

James grabbed Jack’s paperwork to show the doubting owner that he was indeed a legitimate service dog but was still given a fight. He told WFXT FOX 25 News, “I said, ‘I have his certification paperwork right here. He’s not fake, he’s 100% legit.’ He like, ‘I don’t give a [expletive]. I don’t have time for that. Get out of my restaurant.’” So James called the police and Sergeant Anthony Saad with the Oxford PD confirmed the dog’s paperwork and attempted to convince Ireland. While no charges were brought, the Iraq Vet says he will file a complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act which states that businesses must, “allow someone with PTSD to bring in a service animal that has been trained to calm the person when he or she has an anxiety attack.” James said, “Got 21 distinguished years in the military. After everything we’ve done, we just shouldn’t be treated like that.”

Many others agree with James and vow not to support Ireland or his dining establishment and a Facebook page boycotting Big I’s has over 25,000 likes. Ireland has received angry phone calls, honks from passing cars in protest, and threats to burn down the restaurant. Former patron Bill Haseotes said, “I used to go in there and eat but now I'll never give him a penny again after what I heard." Despite public sentiment Ireland is not retreating and says he apologizes only to veterans with “legitimate” service dogs, not Glaser.

Bart Sherwood, Program Director for the service dog training program Train a Dog Save a Warrior, rescued Jack from a Florida shelter, then helped train and certify him as a service dog. Sherwood said that dogs like Jack and other PTSD service dogs don’t look like the typical service dog breeds that people are used to, like Labrador retrievers or German shepherds, so their legitimacy is doubted. He advocates for better education about the matter.

More information: WHDH, WFXT, telegram.com

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Hungry bear gets take out at Colorado restaurant

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A hungry bear helped himself to a takeout dinner at a German restaurant in Colorado Springs.

The manager of Edelweiss told The Denver Post (http://bit.ly/18PGB8E) the bear passed by a recycling bin early Wednesday and followed his nose to a dumpster holding leftovers from the previous night.

Surveillance video shows the bear on his hind legs, flipping open dumpster's lid and nimbly rolling it out of a view into the parking lot to enjoy his feast.

The container was later found knocked over. The bear returned for more early Thursday.

Wildlife officials say if the bear keeps coming back, it will be tagged and relocated to the mountains — or euthanized if that doesn't work.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

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Restaurant meals for kids fail nutrition test: consumer group

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not a hint of vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The group, which has agitated for everything from healthier popcorn at the movies to calorie labeling in supermarkets, found that among almost 3,500 combinations surveyed, kids' meals failed to meet nutritional standards 97 percent of the time.

That was a marginal improvement over 2008 when such meals failed to meet standards 99 percent of the time.

Every children's meal offered at popular chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dairy Queen, Hardee's, McDonald's, Panda Express, Perkins Family Restaurants and Popeyes fell short of standards adopted by the center from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutritional recommendations.

The meals also fell short of standards set by the National Restaurant Association's Kids LiveWell Program, said the CSPI, which titled its study, "Kids' Meals: Obesity on the Menu."

"Most chains seem stuck in a time warp, serving up the same old meals based on chicken nuggets, burgers, macaroni and cheese, fries, and soda," said Margo Wootan, CSPI nutrition policy director. "It's like the restaurant industry didn't get the memo that there's a childhood obesity crisis."

Among the meals singled out was Applebees' grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread, fries and two percent chocolate milk, which has 1,210 calories, 62 grams of fat and 2,340 milligrams of sodium.

The combo meal had nearly three times as many calories as the CSPI's criteria for four- to- eight-year-olds suggest.

At Ruby Tuesday, the macaroni and cheese, white cheddar mashed potatoes and fruit punch combo has 870 calories, 46 grams of fat and 1700 milligrams of sodium, said Wootan.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that children eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt each day to avoid high blood pressure, which can lead to coronary disease, stroke and other ailments.

Being overweight as a child leaves a person vulnerable to heart disease, diabetes and a shortened life span. About one-third of American children are now considered overweight and 17 percent are considered obese, according to USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The CSPI cited Subway restaurants' Fresh Fit For Kids meal combinations as exceptions to the salty, fatty norm.

Subway serves apple slices with its kid-sized sub sandwiches and offers low-fat milk or bottled water instead of soda. All eight of its children's meals met CSPI's nutrition criteria.

A few other establishments have begun to offer side dishes beyond French fries. In fact, every child's meal at Longhorn Steakhouse now comes with fruit or a vegetable.

"More chains are adding fruit, like apple slices, to their menus, but practically every chain could be adding more vegetable and whole grain options," said Ameena Batada, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

Labeling can be a potent tool. The report cited two studies that indicated customers who are provided with calorie counts on the menu sometimes gravitate toward healthier choices.

To produce its study, the CSPI looked at 50 top U.S. chain restaurants, finding 34 of them had meals designed for children and were willing to provide nutritional data. It analyzed those meals and meal combinations.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Ros Krasny and Steve Orlofsky)

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Guys rewarded for good manners at the Washington restaurant.

SEATTLE (AP) — Laura King, the three children acted normally while enjoy dinner in an Italian restaurant in their hometown in Washington State.

But restaurant staff wine Dream in Poulsbo were so impressed with table manners of his children during their dinner February 1 that thanked his children and gave the family of five a bowl of ice cream.
It wasn't until King got home that she has noticed a rebate of $ 4 "well behaved children" to its receipt to cover the cake. A friend has posted a photo of the receipt on Reddit, and the story took off.
"The server said staff didn't even know there were children at the table," said the King, whose children are 2, 3 and 8 years.
King said, "it was fun to see all the attention he got his story, and he's going to dine at wine Dream again soon.
Wine's dream owner Rob Scott said servers have the discretion to offer a discount to clients, adding that this was not the first time students were well-behaved children. What was different was that one of the staff members spelled out the receipt.
"It was just an act of kindness," said Scott.
Scott said that the restaurant was full the night Laura's family, which can be difficult for families with young children. But she said she was impressed with the sense of family was the interaction with others and that the 2-year-old on a tall Chair seemed to be having a good time.
Rowdy children are a problem for all customers of the restaurant have met at one point or another, said Scott.
"You can tell when a (family) had a rough ride for the restaurant," said Scott. "There tends to be sometimes activity where children get out of the Chair or lie on chairs or get loud, how to get strong, upset other patrons, and they paid to a babysitter".
Scott said that he was asked if he would pay more for customers who have unruly children. That is not something he does, he said.
"Everyone in my generation was raised to behave in restaurants," he said. "Parenting skills have been forgotten in some cases."
King said he has worked in the restaurant industry before and knows that families are not the easiest customers to serve. She said that the restaurant, his children apply to table etiquette used at his dining table.

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