A popular Philadelphia restaurateur was asked to leave another eatery after complaining about a dog being allowed to drink from a glass typically used for human customers. The woman claims the restaurant staff sided with the man because he lives near the business.
On Sunday, July 17, Saudia Shuler, the owner of the Country Cooking Restaurant and Catering, made headlines after complaining about the service she received at Devon Seafood and Grill in the Rittenhouse Square area of the City of Brotherly Love.
Shuler, who has over 422,000 followers on Instagram, took to her social media page to share with the public the ordeal. In a two-minute video, she shared with her supporters a clip man sharing a glass of water with his white poodle at his table outside, an act that she believed was disgusting and wrong.
The caption on the video read, “I was so shocked that he asked the people for a glass of water for him and the dog. Devon’s seafood grill y’all went too far.”
She continued saying the man knew it was wrong to share the glass but did it anyway. Shuler further stated the reason the establishment did not reprimand the older white man was “he live there that’s why they catered to him.”
In one of the three posts, she expresses her outrage.
“Now this man keeps asking for a bowl of water. I wanna see what the hell are you gonna do. First, he asked for a bowl of water and then he asks for a glass of water,” she says at the time of the ordeal.
In the background, the man can be seen sitting on a chair looking around, while the dog playfully dances around.
The video where the actual dog is drinking out of the glass was removed by Instagram but was captured by The Shade Room.
Viewers can clearly see the canine lapping up from the glass.
Chef Saud declares, “I’m never drinking out of glasses again at Devon’s … I’m so f##king pissed right now.”
“They let these white folks doing any f##king thing they want to do,” she continued. “I’m so mad right now. That is not cool, at all.”
Accompanying Saud are family members, and she asks them, “She sees him doing that too? The waitress sees him doing that and ain’t saying nothing?”
In a third video, which appears as the first on her Instagram, she says she was so disgusted she could not eat her food.
While modeling her outfit off, and still referencing the incident, Shuler said she called the manager, who told her this was acceptable in the community and also brought the dog out some biscuits.
“Did I say, I come here every week to eat? [I come] cause I love the food,” she says in a video while her grandchild is filming. Then she said, “Look at the dog, they’re giving them biscuits and sh#t. I couldn’t even eat my g## d##n food. I am bringing my own cups from now on. Period.”
Later, while the camera is recording, she is approached by a waitress.
The waitress starts, “I know that you are upset about …”
The video cuts off and then starts with Shuler sharing with her viewers that since she said something she is being asked to leave.
The woman denies this but raises her voice. Shuler then points at the lady and says, “Who the f##k are you hollering at? Don’t f##king holler at me.” It is at this point; the waitress goes to get her manager.
“I hope you know who I am,” Shuler informs the waitress, who says she doesn’t care.
“You don’t have to care, because this is a job to you, but your people will hear.”
The waitress replies, “We are going to have to ask you to leave because this is getting out of control.”
A fourth post features a screenshot from cuteness.com about the safety of humans and animals sharing the same dishes.
She states in the post, “If I did this. Y’all would have my damn head on a platter. Devon’s Seafood Grill is out of pocket for giving the man a glass of water to a dog. He wasn’t even buying anything. Then after I made a sic issue about it. He brought a beer.”
“The Mananger and workers was rude to me after I said something,” the caption concluded. “told me I had to leave and all. I was waiting for my lyth sic and they said I had to leave. After they saw the man give the dog the water out the glass no one said anything. Then they brought the dog biscuits to eat.”
She said, “the man smiled at me and laughed.”
Experts say, according to Country Living, one reason animals and humans should not share dishes is that they may “harbor hidden bacteria such as salmonella which cannot be destroyed by dishwashing.”
“Pets can contaminate surfaces in your home with germs—you don’t have to touch your pets to get sick from the germs they might be carrying,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its guidance on living with pets. “Keep your pets away from people food and areas where food and drink are prepared, served, consumed, or stored.”
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Devon Seafood and Grill for a comment and was unable to receive one.
