Question: Is it true that restaurants have to let in pets now? It seems like people already take their dogs everywhere and there should be limits.

Answer: No, the Hawaii Food Safety Code was amended recently in line with national standards, but the update allows pet dogs only in outdoor dining areas that meet certain conditions — and this is an option for restaurants, not something they must do. To be clear, service dogs were already allowed — they’re not considered pets — under rules that are unchanged.

To answer another reader’s question, no, pet dogs can’t be seated on a restaurant’s tables or chairs, even outdoors (we’ve gotten “Auwes” about that). They can be on the ground or in a carrier, but only if the eatery also meets all other provisions of the new rule, which is found in Ha

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