By Evelyn Long

Providing a welcoming environment for all of your guests is a fundamental part of running a restaurant, and Canadian operators must consider the floor plan to enable an accessible experience for all guests. People who use wheelchairs need to get inside easily and manoeuvre through the layout without resistance. By considering those with different abilities and enhancing accessibility, your establishment can be more equitable and compliant with national regulations.

Why wheelchair accessibility is important for restaurants

You need to incorporate accessibility features for these reasons:

Promoting inclusion: Smarter designs allow everyone to enjoy their food and to socialize without restriction, encouraging a sense of belonging instead of isolating certain demographics.
Prioritizing safety: Better flow allows wheelchairs to navigate the building without unexpected bumps, large snags, or steep slopes.
Promising equity: Your restaurant should set an example, showing that everyone deserves access to their desired goods and services.
Expanding customer base: Accessible infrastructure invites more people of various backgrounds to your storefront, boosting your reputation and encouraging community to visit.

Ensuring wheelchair accessibility helps the restaurant abide by Canada’s accessibility regulations. Adherence is a legal obligation, but it is also your social responsibility to consider people who use wheelchairs and ensure that they have equal access to your restaurant.

Accessibility laws to consider

The Accessible Canada Act is the most comprehensive legislation in the country. It provides a framework to make Canada accessible to all by 2040 and includes ideas for constructing a compliant restaurant.

The act does not specifically cover restaurants, but it can still inspire you with ideas, such as consulting individuals with disabilities, establishing a positive feedback loop, and publishing accessibility plans to encourage knowledge-sharing.

British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Ontario each have unique accessibility laws separate from the Accessible Canada Act. For example, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act has specific requirements for customer service, as one in four residents has a disability. It requires inclusive communication, permitting assistive devices and transparency when accessible services are unavailable. Training, reporting, and documentation on progress are also necessary.

Some provinces, like Nova Scotia, have guidance on built environments but are constructing more comprehensive standards for goods and services. If your restaurant is in one of these provinces, stay aware of regulatory updates. In the meantime, recommendations from other sources should be employed to get ahead of the curve.

Restaurants should also consider building codes. Bathrooms should follow standard sizes to be inclusive and large enough to accommodate assistive devices.

Making your restaurant inclusive

You can experiment with various floor plans and design edits to see what works best for your unique dining experience. Attempt to include several staples recommended by worldwide experts.

Ramps and elevators: Your restaurant accessibility journey begins with the entrance. Wheelchair users should be able to make their way inside without assistance. Ground-level buildings can have ramps with handrails in addition to stairs to get to the door. The clearance for doors and waiting areas should be large enough to move without causing collisions. Automatic door openers are also a must-have feature for ease of entrance.

Clear and wide paths: Make walkways, including between tables, large enough to fit large wheelchairs with enough clearance to turn around. Remove any protrusions or anything that could damage equipment. You may also try creating one-way traffic to guide customers more consistently to their desired location. Incorporate clear, accessible signage throughout the restaurant to prevent confusion and congestion.

Accessible tables: Building codes from the Canadian government recommend placing enough seating near entrances, ramps and elevators, so they are not as far away. Mobility aids at tables, including cane seats, are also essential. Table heights should also be reasonable enough to suit someone using their wheelchair as a seat.

Considerate restrooms: Turning space is essential for stalls. Grab bars, reachable paper towels and toilet paper, and hand dryers must be low enough to use without strain. Sinks should also have a low design with faucets closer to the individuals, so they do not have to reach as far.

Strategic amenities placement: Service counters, self-service stations with condiments, garbage cans, and pickup locations should also be at reachable heights for those in wheelchairs. Additional reachable controls, including bells to request assistance, are also encouraged.

Making your restaurant welcoming to all

You can still make your business more inclusive while Canada finishes constructing more thorough standards. Every restaurant should be accessible to those with wheelchairs, allowing everyone to feel welcome and enjoy good food and company equally.

Considering layout and flow is one of the best places to start, and being receptive to feedback for continuous improvement can only help you and your staff learn more about how to improve.

Evelyn Long is a leader in accessible and inclusive interior design for commercial spaces. Her expertise is featured in publications like I+S and Facility Executive, where she shares insights on creating environments that cater to all users. As Editor-in-Chief of Renovated Magazine, Evelyn champions innovative and thoughtful design solutions that prioritize inclusivity and functionality.