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Original poster

Restaurant claimed to be wheelchair accessible

70 replies

MobilityCat · 22/12/2024 14:54

Last night I went out for a meal with friends. I first called the restaurant and asked if it was wheelchair friendly and they said it was.
When I arrived I found that there was a step at the entrance so I waited until someone came to the door.
They asked me if I had a reservation and I said yes.
They took me along the pavement and around the corner, then down a dark lane then asked me to wait while they cleared four large metal bins away from a path lead to the restaurant back entrance.
I then entered the door into the kitchen and navigated through it into the restaurant.
Considering that it was a single step at the front of of the restaurant the could have provided a little portable ramp. After my meal I had to go out the same way and It didn't feel at all wheelchair friendly.

OP posts:
Falseshamrok · 22/12/2024 19:35

user1471453601 · 22/12/2024 19:28

I voted that you are being unreasonable. I'm soon to be a wheel chair user too, but now I still have to find out if somewhere I'm going is accessible (for info I cannot manage steps without a great deal of help, and I'm getting worse, a wheel chair it is in the new year).

But I live in a place where many buildings are listed and so cannot make them easily accessible, though they try to make them somewhat accessible.

The restaurant tried, and succeed, in making their building accessible. The way they did it clearly didn't suit you, but they did it. Sorry.

The building wasn’t wheelchair accessible. Accessible means independently accessed which isn’t what happened.

MouldWoes · 22/12/2024 19:35

user1471453601 · 22/12/2024 19:28

I voted that you are being unreasonable. I'm soon to be a wheel chair user too, but now I still have to find out if somewhere I'm going is accessible (for info I cannot manage steps without a great deal of help, and I'm getting worse, a wheel chair it is in the new year).

But I live in a place where many buildings are listed and so cannot make them easily accessible, though they try to make them somewhat accessible.

The restaurant tried, and succeed, in making their building accessible. The way they did it clearly didn't suit you, but they did it. Sorry.

It is not accessible. Accessible means unaided a wheelchair user can get in. I get that might mean using a different exit but it shouldn't involve someone else having to move fucking bins out the way.

Falseshamrok · 22/12/2024 19:34

FumingTRex · 22/12/2024 17:39

Its not accessible, but its also important to realise most people dont understand accessibility. If they've seen one person in a manual chair be helped up the step they will think thats fine and wont realise another type of wheelchair cannot do that.

So for your own peace of mind i would ask more specific questions next time- is the main entrance a step free access, is there a ramp etc

the op (or anyone) shouldn’t have to do that.

Simonjt · 22/12/2024 19:31

When I was working in catering the kitchen was strictly out of bounds for hygiene reasons, wheeling you through the kitchen wouldn’t have been a hygenic thing to do from a food hygiene point of view, it also would have been a fire safety issue as well.

user1471453601 · 22/12/2024 19:28

I voted that you are being unreasonable. I'm soon to be a wheel chair user too, but now I still have to find out if somewhere I'm going is accessible (for info I cannot manage steps without a great deal of help, and I'm getting worse, a wheel chair it is in the new year).

But I live in a place where many buildings are listed and so cannot make them easily accessible, though they try to make them somewhat accessible.

The restaurant tried, and succeed, in making their building accessible. The way they did it clearly didn't suit you, but they did it. Sorry.

LadyKenya · 22/12/2024 19:21

Very poor.

Original poster
MobilityCat · 22/12/2024 19:18

FumingTRex · 22/12/2024 17:39

Its not accessible, but its also important to realise most people dont understand accessibility. If they've seen one person in a manual chair be helped up the step they will think thats fine and wont realise another type of wheelchair cannot do that.

So for your own peace of mind i would ask more specific questions next time- is the main entrance a step free access, is there a ramp etc

I failed to mention that I emailed them asking that as well as whether there was an accessible toilet but they failed to answer hence the phone call. They offered no apology for the inconvenience and embarrassment caused.

OP posts:
DepartingRadish · 22/12/2024 18:09

YANBU. I was staying at a hotel a few years back, where one of the guests was being carried up and down the entrance steps by her family. With her wheelchair being taken up by another family member.

I got chatting to her one evening, and she said that her family booked a break as a surprise and had called before booking to see if the hotel was wheelchair accessible. Only to find when they got there that it wasn't, because the chair lift at the front was out of order and apparently had been prior to their booking. So her son was carrying her up the stairs as it was the only way she could get inside.

She was quite sanguine, and her son was very nice and joking about getting his weightlifting done, but I thought it was very poor of the hotel not to check their access was actually working when someone booked on the strength of it.

murasaki · 22/12/2024 18:08

Well I'm able bodied and it took me precisely 0 seconds post reading the OP to know it was outrageous.

DisabledDemon · 22/12/2024 18:02

Willyoujustbequiet · 22/12/2024 17:42

I'd love to know which idiots think you are being unreasonable.

Probably the able-bodied ones who never have to think about it.

Willyoujustbequiet · 22/12/2024 17:42

I'd love to know which idiots think you are being unreasonable.

FumingTRex · 22/12/2024 17:39

Its not accessible, but its also important to realise most people dont understand accessibility. If they've seen one person in a manual chair be helped up the step they will think thats fine and wont realise another type of wheelchair cannot do that.

So for your own peace of mind i would ask more specific questions next time- is the main entrance a step free access, is there a ramp etc

Original poster
MobilityCat · 22/12/2024 17:38

Mairzydotes · 22/12/2024 17:35

If they had to move the bins, it probably won't be safe in an evacuation.

Good point, I had to wait a couple of minutes both coming and going as they appeared to be quite heavy to move.

OP posts:
Mairzydotes · 22/12/2024 17:35

If they had to move the bins, it probably won't be safe in an evacuation.

murasaki · 22/12/2024 17:27

For it to be accessible, in my mind, you'd need to be able to access it independently, which being taken down an alley and through the kitchen is very much not. Good on you for posting a review.

Original poster
MobilityCat · 22/12/2024 17:24

I posted this on their website review page

OP posts:
EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 22/12/2024 14:59

Warn people about it on Trustpilot and similar

murasaki · 22/12/2024 14:58

Definitely not accessible. Complain, and loudly.

DisabledDemon · 22/12/2024 14:58

Disgusting. Name and Shame.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 22/12/2024 14:56

Leave them some factually accurate reviews. Everywhere.

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