I posted the following review on Rewards Network and received the following response which given the circumstances was actually enough for me to decide to not return to this establishment. While the food is good and our waiter was good the responder is a piece of work. It should be known that my service animal was wearing a vest with an insignia on it. The question should have been answered just by that. The fact that I and anyone in ear shot could hear her was calling undue attention. Whatever the health codes etc are the ADA is VERY CLEAR and this restaurant is this/close to violating that act.
----review and response below.......
The restaurant service and food were really good. Everything tasted fine and was presented beautifully. The drawbacks were just minor but they added up...as did the bill. Our waiter was friendly efficient and left us to our devices while we ate after he checked on how we liked things. He did however take a long time to bring the bill. The drawbacks were as follows: We have a service dog and they made a bigger fuss than necessary. We could hear a woman (I am assuming the owner) asking repeatedly if the Maitre d'hotel checked to make certain she was a service dog. He assured her several times, yet she loudly asked him again to verify it. Had the restaurant been crowded it would have been embarrassing enough for me to consider leaving. It is really no one's business besides mine that I have a service animal. Not that I can hide it, but the woman made it seem as though she doubted my disability and or need. The prices were pretty high for what was served. I think 2 people should be able to leave a Greek restaurant for under $60 a person even with wine appetizers desert and coffee. We didn't order the most expensive wine either. Just a Greek Rhoditis. Ultimately I would probably go back but I might try other places first. Being a former Chicago resident a lot of places I go to for Greek food end up being compared to the phenomenal restaurants one finds in Greek Town there.
The establishment replied to this comment on 06.28.2014:
We regret that you felt the response to your dog was "over the top" - however, as the Health Dept is adamant about no dogs other than genuine service dogs in a food establishment - it was necessary to determine that the server had the correct information.. Your server was not a maitre d'hotel and as there have been language barriers that resulted in miscommunication in the past it was important to ensure there was no misunderstanding. There were other issues that unfortunately you were not aware of. We have had many, many diners with service dogs and as well, we have had guests who have "laughingly" called their pets "service" dogs. In the interests of meeting strict health code parameters it is better to err on the side of caution. We are here to provide a healthy environment and will continue to strive to surpass these expectations regarding both the environment and of course the food. We thank you for taking the time to share your comments. SM