DANVILLE, Va. – One parent is speaking out after she claims her son’s group with special needs was treated unfairly when she said they weren’t served at a downtown restaurant. The restaurant’s attorney said that’s not the case.
Parent Stacy Ingram wasn’t there to witness the incident but her son Matthew was. His special needs group visited Danville’s Dell’Anno’s Pizza Kitchen.
“One of the employees looked at the group and said, ‘We will not serve those people,’” Ingram said. “The staff member said, ‘What do you mean by those people?’ It’s my understanding that they got irritated with each other, so another staff member saw what was happening and told the group, ‘Ok, it’s time to go.’”
Ingram was first alerted to the situation by a social media post circulating online from a concerned community member which led her to speak with the group’s staff.
“He was so excited,” Ingram said. “Then, to go in there and sit down excited about his lunch and then to be told to leave, he didn’t understand that. This restaurant owner needs to know that you can’t do that.”
Ingram believes they were treated unfairly, but Dell’Annos Pizza Kitchen’s attorney Patrick Haywood disagrees.
“We were not discriminating against anybody, and certainly not special needs,” Haywood said.
Haywood said the group was never even turned away.
“They came in,” Haywood said. “They said they had a reservation. We don’t take reservations. We were trying to accommodate them. Apparently, the person in charge got very upset and she left.”
The special needs program, “Camp Grove Therapeutic Recreation” is held through the city.
Danville City Manager’s Public Information Officer Arnold Hendrix said that the staff called the restaurant for a group of 29 on April 17, so they could eat there on April 19.
The next day, they said they called to confirm and were told to come early.
When they arrived Friday at 11:30 a.m., they said management told them the restaurant could not accommodate the group.
“In previous visits to the restaurant, the group has been served,” Hendrix said. “We have been assured by the restaurant owner that we are welcome in the future.”
Dell’Anno’s attorney said they offered to compensate the group with a free pizza party, however, he said the group declined the offer.
Ingrams tells 10 News that they are looking into the possibility of filing a formal complaint. However, as of publication neither Dell’Anno’s nor its staff members have been implicated in any professional misconduct or legal violations in connection with the incident.