[NABS-L] Advocating To Restaurants About Accessibility

[Sami Osborne]

Hi Armando and all,

This is indeed a very interesting topic.

Personally, I don't see the harm in asking the waiter/waitress to read you the menu once you enter the restaurant. That's part of their job; they're in charge of not only taking customer's orders, but also answering any and all questions they might have about the different food/drinks. You have to interact with the waiter or waitress when he or she situates you at a table as well as when you place your order, when your food is served, and when you're paying the bill (as well as if you order a dessert if applicable). If you walk in by yourself with your cane or guide dog, they'd most likely be more than willing to help you out. Additionally, if you're at the restaurant with a friend or family member, he/she can just read you the menu if they're sighted. I've visited several restaurants over the course of my life, both on my own as well as with friends and family. Most (if not all) of the wait staff have been exceptionally friendly, regardless of whether or not I've asked them to help me out personally.

I know I'm probably going way over the top with answering a relatively simple question, but I just wanted to point out that there are multiple ways of knowing what's on the restaurant menu. I know inaccessible websites are frustrating in general for all of us, but you don't have to necessarily know the different food options in advance. Yes, it can be helpful, particularly if you're traveling in a large group setting. However, I personally don't view accessibility (or lack thereof) of restaurant websites as a huge stumbling blocks given the multiple methods you can go by. In my 24 plus years of life, I've only ever visited one (1) restaurant that had a Braille menu, and that was Legal Seafood in Lexington, Mass., where my paternal grandparents used to live before they passed away. As others have stated before me, privately-owned/family-owned restaurants don't normally consider accessibility as a top priority, and in fact I learned in college (when I did a report on the ADA for one of my classes) that these types of venues are not covered under the ADA; only public entities are.

Once again, my apologies for rambling, but I do hope what I'm saying makes some sense here.

Thanks, and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Sami

On Mar 25, 2022 5:48 PM, Asia Quinones-Evans via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> I could be wrong on this but I believe most family owned restaurants are private. So their rules about accessibility are some what different. I would also check to see if the restaurant is on Uber Eats just to check out the menu. I also have an app called All Access that I find a great deal of restaurants with their menus on it. I hope this helps.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Armando Vias via NABS-L
> Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2022 8:30 PM
> To: Nicolas Spohn <nspohn0 at gmail.com>
> Cc: Armando Vias <armando at armandovias.com>; nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Advocating To Restaurants About Accessibility
>
> It is a family-owned restaurant I believe. They have an online ordering system, in which it is accessible.
>
> > On Mar 24, 2022, at 5:56 PM, Nicolas Spohn <nspohn0 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > This is an interesting topic. If the restaurant is a larger chain then Accessibility is more or less expected. If it say family owned or a local person owns the place, accessibility of a website may be more of a challenge due to cost, lack of knowledge, or potentially  other things.  I have never confronted a restaurant but I’m interested to hear what others have to say
> > 
> > Sent from my iPhone
> > 
> >> On Mar 24, 2022, at 4:55 PM, Armando Vias via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >> Hello all,
> >> Have you guys had to advocate to a restaurant about accessibility? One of my local restaurants has a website, but their accessibility is horrible. What strategies did you use to advocate to your restaurant?
> >> Thanks.
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