Jake's — Restaurant in Columbia

First a quick negative; the only negative really. I was visiting family in SC, and they suggested this place, particularly due to it being super dog friendly. We went and the “bouncer,” a young man in his mid-twenties perhaps, tells me that I cannot bring in my pocketknife, which I carry with me all of the time. After putting the knife in the car, I walked back up to the entrance. The same dude sarcastically asked me “you sure you don’t have anything else on you?” I said, “no I don’t Jesus Christ” and walked in. Little guy with a swollen ego damn near had be saying I wouldn’t ever come back. Fire him. However, that was the only unpleasant thing about this place. First, beer. They have a tap house in the sitting area/dog park. They also have a full bar indoors, though dogs must remain outside. Great selection of beers, none of which are outrageously priced. I cannot remember whether they offer food. But let me tell you, people bring their dogs here! From a minuscule purse dog to a fully-grown Great to a Great Pyrenees (which we brought). They mostly all get along, which is wild given that there are usually 10-15 or so dogs at any given time. Anyhow, there’s this gentleman named John who is referred to as “the Dog Whisperer.” He learns the new dogs’ names once and never forgets him. Dogs flock to him, and they stop their bad behavior when he snaps at them. Pretty fascinating to watch, actually. Anyway this place is a sight to behold, namely, Jake’s backyard/dog park area. I highly recommend checking it out. Just don’t have a pocket knife on you. Learned that one! Great place with great...

Have tried to bring my monkey in numerous times... which is a registered service animal, even offered to put him inside of a completely enclosed bubble backpack and was still denied. Under ADA law, I cannot legally be denied entry because it's not equivalent to an ESA which is only covered under the housing act.

Kind of odd considering they allow dogs / personal pets that are not registered or trained for PTSD or other services. Have asked to talk to the owner numerous times and was denied by the bouncers.. I am beginning to think it's a sort of discrimination, I get that people would be more drawn to the monkey and maybe that is why they won't allow entry which is upsetting but I don't seek attention from people and typically avoid questions or even interacting with people in public while I have the animal. I keep things short and sweet in hopes they go away. Would even sit as far away from people as possible to not draw attention and have friends bring me drinks instead of going into a 'crowd' while they order..

But overall it's a good atmosphere, have not tried their food... would recommend going but as a retired Naval Special Warfare enlistee, I would greatly appreciate if the owner would talk to me personally and find a resolution for my service animal to be allowed entry to the establishment even if it's under stipulations / guidelines that he would feel...

I traveled from out of state and specifically chose Jake’s because of its dog-friendly reputation. I researched the policy ahead of time. The current PDF on their website says dogs must be leashed by 11PM, with no mention of a 10PM cutoff. When I returned after feeding my dog, we were told dogs aren’t allowed after 10. Mind you I was just in there… after 10, another dog in there as well. Just went to the car to feed my dog. The policy isn’t posted anywhere, and other dogs had been there moments before. When I brought this up, I was told ‘the policy changed 6 months ago’ but again, this wasn’t reflected anywhere online or on site. It felt dishonest and dismissive, especially to someone who went out of their way to follow the rules. When I asked to see a policy I was told “they have the right to turn anyone away” which yes is true, but how ethical is that if it’s a complete lie? ..or to have nothing to back it up? This is my first time visiting Columbia and I’ve been really excited but this completely ruined my night. I downloaded and read the entire policy and went back to discuss this with them and all I got was deflection. Really upset over this. I would’ve visited another city if I knew we’d be...