Blind teen and guide dog told to leave Subway shop

A blind teenager has said he was left "horrified and embarrassed" after being refused entry to a sandwich shop because he was accompanied by his guide dog, Pilot.

Robbie Lee, 19, said he tried to order food at the Subway sandwich shop on Vicar Lane in Leeds when a manager told him to "get out with the dog".

Under the 2010 Equality Act it is illegal to refuse access to a disabled person with their guide dog, except in exceptional circumstances.

Mr Lee said Subway had since apologised to him and, in an email, a spokesperson told him that staff at the branch were being retrained.

Mr Lee said the incident happened in October when he took a lunch break from Leeds City College where he is studying backstage theatre.

"I walked across to grab a sandwich, but as soon as I got in the shop he came over and said I couldn't be inside with my dog," he said.

Mr Lee said he asked to see the manager and it emerged the staff member he was talking to was, in fact, in charge of the shop.

"I told him it was a service dog. I even brought up the legislation on my phone, but he didn't care," Mr Lee said.

Mr Lee's father, Kev, said after the incident he had lodged a formal complaint to Subway, adding he was angry his son's independence was taken away from him.

"He was forced to wait outside for his food, and this sort of thing happens to blind people all the time," he said.

"There's even a sign on the door at Subway that says service dogs are allowed. Surely everyone knows guide dogs are allowed?"

Kev Lee said Subway had since apologised to his son via email, in which it was stated that staff would be retrained.

Both father and son were also offered a free "foot-long" sandwich when they next visited the store "as a gesture of goodwill".

However, Kev Lee said the response did not go far enough.

"It's insulting if they think discrimination against a disabled person is only as serious as offering a free sandwich.

"It's just not good enough. This affects people's mental health and makes them feel rejected in society."

A study for the Guide Dogs charity in 2022 found that 76% of guide dog owners had been refused access to a business or service, while about half (49%) said they had changed or restricted their plans because they were worried about being challenged or refused access.

Maqsood Sheikh, senior regional campaigns officer for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said he was disappointed to hear about Mr Lee's experience, but added that he was not surprised to hear about what had happened.

"We know three-quarters of all blind people are experiencing refusals, not just in fast-food restaurants, but in taxis, hotels, pubs - everywhere.

"It's a widespread and growing problem because too many hospitality staff and retail staff still don't understand the law."

Robbie Lee, who can only sense light and shade since losing his sight as a toddler, said blind people deserved to be treated the same as everyone else.

"We are still human and we don't want to be discriminated against."

Kev Lee said: "To anyone else suffering discrimination because of disability you need to be strong about it: report it and raise awareness so businesses are forced to take action."

Subway has not yet responded to a request from the BBC for a comment.

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