Nando's sorry after refusing to let deaf woman sit inside

The Nunn family were upset to be told by Nando’s staff they would have to sit outside because of Covid regulations.

At the time, the restaurant, in Wandsworth, London, was within a Tier 2 area – meaning diners could legally eat inside.

However, the manager wrongly claimed Imogen Nunn, 23, from Bognor, would have to eat outside as she was with her dog Whitney.

“Because of this new regulation, the Covid, we don’t allow the dogs inside,” the manager says in a video which was shared by the family.

Nando's manager turns away the Nunn family

Imogen’s mother Louise Nunn, 50, said: “She was devastated, it’s an assistance dog and she was told we were not allowed.

“It was our first time coming out in months and she was made to feel like a second-class citizen.

“These dogs are supposed to world more accessible and this should not be happening in 2020.

“It’s disgusting.”

She said this was not the first time the family had been refused entry to a Nando’s restaurant due to their dog.

On two other occasions in 2018 and 2019, she says, staff at the chain’s outlet in Duke Street, Brighton, refused Louise entry.

Ms Nunn said: “It is just not fair and a breach of the Equality Act.

Imogen Nunn with her guide dog Whitney

“Why would they do this to someone with a disability?”

A spokeswoman for Nando’s said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to the Nunn family for what happened and regret any distress this event caused.

“It has highlighted that there were gaps in our team’s knowledge of our policy to allow guide and assistance dogs into our restaurants and they made a wrong call.

“We have contacted the Wandsworth and Duke Street restaurants and will retrain the team on the policy.

“We would love to welcome the Nunn family back to their local restaurant to apologise personally.”

A spokesman for the charity Guide Dogs said many people with assistance animals face being “illegally” turned away.

He said: “All blind and partially sighted people deserve to be able to live their lives the way they want and feel confident, independent and supported in the world.

“There is no reason why a guide dog owner who follows the appropriate government advice on Covid should be turned away from a restaurant purely because of their guide dog.

“It is completely unacceptable and illegal for a business or service to refuse entry to a customer with a guide dog, yet, sadly, it happens all too often.

“Our research shows that three quarters of guide dog owners are illegally turned away and this discrimination is leaving people with sight loss left out of life.”