I've gone to Dick's for years; Carol has waited on me for years. She has worked there longer than I have been alive. The food is fantastic and inexpensive, a Berea staple. You can get half a dozen fresh cookies for something like $1.20. The coffee is excellent.
As a BW Conservatory student I saw how the Dick's workers were regularly (usually unintentionally) harassed by loud, excited college students. They were generally really nice about it and we usually settled down.
Certainly this doesn't excuse asking a blind woman to leave because the employee didn't recognize a service dog. However, Carol made an honest mistake based on past experience. She publicly and privately apologized for it as soon as she understood what she'd done. The blind woman and her family have publicly stated that they do not want backlash on Dick's because of this situation. They only want awareness and compassion for all involved.
Now the internet is out to excoriate a small, locally owned family business and the 74-year-old employee who has never worked anywhere else. Carol isn't a manager, she isn't the owner. She's a lady who worked in a bakery for 60 years and royally screwed up once on a Tuesday.
Four stars because it seems to me that Dick's has not backed Carol up. It's possible to advocate for your business and support your employees at the same time.
People. A little compassion is hardly ever misplaced.