Family with son who has special needs asked to leave Outback Steakhouse

Customer complained about noise coming from their table

GLEN BURNIE, Md. – A family was asked to leave an Outback Steakhouse because of their son, who has special needs. 

Amanda Braun was with her son, Killian, 4, and other members of their family seated in the back of the restaurant Saturday, WJLA reported. 

Killian has childhood apraxia of speech, a rare disorder that causes children to have difficulty forming words.

Moments after arriving for dinner, they were asked by a manager to finish their meals and leave because another customer complained about noise coming from their table, WJLA reported. 

"I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was in total shock,” Braun told WJLA. “The anger has subsided and I'm left with sadness for my son and his future struggles of being in public.”

Restaurant officials apologized to the family. 

“We strive to make sure all guests feel comfortable and welcomed in our restaurants and we fell short,” the restaurant told WJLA. “We’re learning from what happened and training our team so we can better serve our diverse guest population.”

The restaurant offered the family multiple gift certificates and a donation to an organization that works with Killian, WJLA reported.