10 Ways Restaurants Can Be More Accessible and Inclusive
Image description: Five disabled people of color with canes, prosthetic legs, and a wheelchair sit on a rooftop deck, laughing and sharing stories. Greenery and city high-rises are visible in the background.
Accessible and inclusive restaurants benefit everyone and contribute to a more diverse and vibrant dining experience. Small adjustments can have a significant impact, allowing everyone to enjoy dining with little to no barriers. These 10 steps are easy to implement, but can quickly turn a restaurant into an accessible space that attracts people with various lived experiences.
1. Provide Clear Signage
If your restaurant already has accessible features, like an accessible entrance, parking space, and/or restroom, you will want to highlight this information with clear signage. Many people will look for signage outside and inside of a restaurant to ensure that there are accessible features that meet their needs. Signage should have high contrasting colors, large fonts, and include braille.
2. Accommodate Mobility Devices:
In order for wheelchair users and other mobility device users to enter a restaurant, the restaurant entrance must be leveled with the sidewalk or outdoor pavement. If the entrance is not leveled, then a ramp should be present. The inside of the restaurant should also be designed to allow mobility device users an optimal and safe dining experience. There should be enough space between tables, wheelchair-accessible seating, and enough space to navigate through hallways and inside the bathroom.
3. Have Accessible Menus:
All documents that are available to the public, including menus, should meet accessibility standards. Menus should have contrasting colors so that people can easily read the text, large and accessible fonts, and straightforward and clear meal descriptions. Having a braille menu available is also necessary for customers with visual impairments.
4. Train Staff in Disability Awareness:
There are many different kinds of disabilities and people’s access needs differ from one another. Training staff on disability awareness, including how to respectfully interact with disabled customers and how to listen to and navigate accommodation requests is critical for creating an inclusive dining experience.
5. Provide Allergen Information:
Menus should include detailed allergen information and highlight common allergens such as nuts, gluten, dairy, and shellfish. This helps customers with food allergies or intolerances to make informed decisions about their meal choices, ensuring a safe dining experience.
6. Accommodate Dietary Restrictions:
Restaurants that offer a variety of meal options that consider people’s dietary preferences and restrictions creates a more welcoming and accessible dining experience. This includes having options that are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other allergy-friendly items.
7. Ensure Audio Accommodations:
If there are audio specific experiences happening inside of the restaurant, there should be non-audio alternatives that convey the same type of information. For example, if a restaurant has a TV playing, the closed-captioning feature should be on.
8. Allow for Seating Flexibility:
Restaurants that have flexible seating are better able to accommodate people with various access needs than restaurants who are unable to rearrange their seating. For example, some customers may require chairs to be moved in order to accommodate their mobility devices or need alternative seating that provides back support or the height to be adjusted.
9. Create an Inclusive Restroom Experience:
Ensure that your restrooms are accessible to all individuals. This includes, but is not limited to, having grab bars available, low sinks, a changing table that can accommodate an adult weight, and appropriate signage. Having a gender-neutral or family restroom also meets the needs of people with various lived experiences.
10. Implement Online Reservations and Waitlist Systems:
Many disabled people need to plan events ahead of time in order to best manage their daily routine. There are also many people who prefer to schedule a dining experience during a certain time if they have mobility limitations or sensory sensitivities and want to avoid large crowds or noise. Offering online reservation and waitlist systems allows customers to plan ahead and avoid unfortunate situations, like waiting for a table for an extended period of time.
Every disabled person is different and therefore creating an accessible and inclusive restaurant requires some research and collaboration. The Americans with Disabilities Act has extensive information on creating accessible restaurants which is legally enforced and working with disabled people directly is a great way to gain insight which may be missed by non-disabled people.
Want our help making your establishment more accessible and inclusive? Send us a note!