An employee from Nicola Pizza, a famous pizzeria in Delaware, allegedly barred a family from entering the restaurant because they had a disabled child with them, according to the child's parents.
The parents in question - Matt Brown and Hannah Reese - hadn't gone out to dinner once since May, when their infant son, Colton, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, according to Delaware Online. As a result, Colton needs a specialized stroller that carries medical equipment he needs to breathe, cough, and eat.
"It looks like a moving hospital bed, basically," Brown said in an interview Wednesday, according to Delaware Online. "We're pushing it through the crowded boardwalk trying to find somewhere to eat."
The family thought they were in luck when they came across Nicola Pizza on Rehoboth Avenue with relatives, but their luck quickly soured when employees denied them entry.
The employee who denied them entry allegedly cited a restaurant rule against allowing access to patrons with strollers inside the dining room. By not seating his family, Brown states, the restaurant violated the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), according to Eater.
Susan Hamadock, Colton's great-grandmother, posted about the incident on Facebook, leading to an onslaught of criticism of Nicola Pizza from angry users.
Locals were surprised about their treatment since Nicola Pizza has been a long-standing part of the community, while others said that the pizzeria should be "boycotted or educated or both."
Brown later revealed that Nick Caggiano Jr., the vice president of the restaurant company that owns the pizzeria, apologized for the incident over the phone and "said that he would better train the restaurant's front-door hosts." However, Caggiano Jr. apparently did not "encourage" Brown to come back and allegedly laughed when Brown cited the mandates of the ADA.
The company posted an apology on Facebook on Thursday, saying that they are "very saddened by the misunderstanding."
"We apologize for the misunderstanding and again we affirm our mission to treat everyone as a member of the Nicola Pizza family," the post concluded.
