Wheelchair-bound man denied service at fast food outlet
KUALA LUMPUR: Wheelchair-bound Petaling Jaya City Councillor Anthony Thanasayan is used to fighting for the rights of the disabled.
But even he must have been shocked when he was allegedly denied service at a fast food outlet in Mid Valley Megamall.To make matters worse, the frustrated Anthony claimed, he was left shocked when he was asked by the Pizza Hut outlet supervisor to leave his wheelchair outside if he wanted to enter the restaurant.
Anthony left the outlet with an empty stomach and a broken heart.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Anthony said the incident occurred around 1pm on Monday when he decided to have lunch with his friend, an able-bodied person.
“I requested to sit inside with my friend as the restaurant was half-empty. Suddenly, the restaurant manager came and told me that the outlet had a strict and clear policy not to welcome customers in wheelchairs,” he claimed.
He said the restaurant staff also refused to serve him meals.
“I was shocked and sad. How could they do this to me? I cannot walk... I have been a paraplegic for more than 40 years. How do they expect me to leave my wheelchair outside?”
Anthony said the outlet’s policy of not serving customers in wheelchairs was discriminatory.
“This is totally ridiculous, treating disabled people like this. We have feelings, too,” he said, adding that he cried when he wrote about the incident in his Facebook account.
Anthony claimed a representative of Pizza Hut had contacted him yesterday, however he declined to talk as he was too depressed.
Pizza Hut Malaysia has since commented on the incident on its Facebook page, expressing its concern for Anthony.
“We have moved to investigate this matter and we will be meeting Anthony today to resolve the miscommunication that occurred. We welcome any feedback on the issue here as our official channel to respond to this issue,” the statement said.
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