Guilderland

Following days of denunciation on social media and elsewhere in reaction to a Times Union story about how Hana Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar refused to seat a blind woman because she had a guide dog with her, the restaurant issued an apology on Monday. It also said it "parted ways" with the manager responsible for the incident, who as recently as Friday continued to say the restaurant's policy, in violation of federal law, was to segregate patrons with service animals in a private room.

The apology, posted on the Table Hopping blog, where the story originated, and on Hana's Facebook page, said in part, "The manager's actions were not in accordance with company policy and have caused great embarrassment to our establishment. ... Since Hana opened in 2009, the company's policy has prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and disability."

Mary Beth Metzger, the Latham woman featured in the story, said Monday afternoon she had not yet heard personally from a Hana representative.

Metzger and a friend attempted to dine at Hana, the first visit for both, on Jan. 28. Because Metzger's guide dog, Foster, was with them, the manager refused to seat them, even after Metzger and three lawyers who happened to be behind her at the hostess stand explained that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses to admit patrons with service animals and treat them as any other customer. After Metzger phoned police, the manager said he would allow her to dine in a private room, away from other customers. Metzger left.

A disability-rights attorney working on Metzger's behalf was in contact with Hana repeatedly over the following weeks about accommodating Metzger's two requests: that a sign be hung near the entrance stating service animals are welcome, and that a training session be conducted for staff about customers with service animals and other aspects of ADA regulations.

The apology mentioned discussions of such a training session. Metzger said Monday she is discussing dates for the class within the next month. It was unclear Monday if a sign had been posted; one was not visible during a visit on Friday.

Since the story was published Friday night on Table Hopping and Saturday morning on the newspaper's Facebook page, thousands of comments, shares, tweets and other online reactions have been filed, almost all condemning Hana and many vowing not to patronize the business.

The apology concludes with, "On behalf of Hana Japanese (Steak House), we offer our sincerest apologies and we will make an ongoing effort to maintain a welcoming environment for all guests. Thank you for your understanding in this matter."

sbarnes@timesunion.com • 518-454-5489 • @Tablehopping • http://facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic