News & insights / Insights / 26.05.25

How to Improve Accessibility and Inclusivity in Your Restaurant

Disability is part of being human

As the World Health Organisation puts it, “disability is part of being human,” a statement made clear by the fact that 1.3 billion people worldwide — around 16% of the global population — live with significant disability, whether visible or invisible. Due to ageing populations and an increase in the rate of noncommunicable diseases, this figure is on the rise.

The WHO also points out that a disabled person’s surroundings have an enormous impact on their lived experience. “Disability results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition with personal and environmental factors including negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social support.” The prevalence of built environments that are unsuitable for people with disabilities place unnecessary restrictions on where they can go and what they can access, ultimately shaping what their world looks like — and often keeping it smaller than it should be.

Environments that are inhospitable to 16% of the population have no place in the hospitality industry (or anywhere else, for that matter). Across the world, this sector exists to welcome and serve people — and that should include all people.

In addition to being the right thing to do, there’s also a business case to be made for accessibility in foodservice: the value of the disabled market is huge. For example, in the UK, restaurants, pubs and clubs that aren’t accessible miss out on an estimated £163 million per month. Excluding these people from your business — however unintentional — is short-sighted at best.

Customers are also increasingly interested in spending their money with businesses who are doing the right thing for both people and planet; this is especially true for younger generations. This means that there is a potential reputational risk for businesses who don’t ensure their spaces are accessible and inclusive.

An important first step is to look for advice from experts and those in the know. Ultimately, the best person to share their insights on what would better support disabled customers is a person who lives with their own disability. We spoke to Fiona Jarvis, founder of Blue Badge Style and herself a wheelchair user, to explore what better access can look like for hospitality businesses. Blue Badge Style is an online resource for those wishing to improve accessibility while also incorporating stylish, attractive design. They also operate the Blue Badge Access Awards, aiming to set the gold standard for access in the hospitality sector.

What does inclusivity include?

Your front-of-house areas should be suitable, accessible and welcoming for people with:

Visual impairments. Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment of some sort. Since sight is the most dominant of our human senses, this can have severe impacts on quality of life.
Hearing impairments. By 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss, ranging from hard to hearing to deaf.
Physical disabilities of all kinds. This can include everything from elderly people who need the help of a walking stick to those people living with long term physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis or muscular dystrophy.
Neurodivergence and learning disabilities. Customers on the autism spectrum or living with learning disabilities such as dyslexia can also benefit from additional supports.

What can you do to make your space accessible and inclusive?

“We believe accessibility should matter to the wider hospitality industry not just as a compliance issue, but as a mark of quality,” says Jacopo Correnti, Front-of-House Director and General Manager at Oriole Bar, London, winner of Best Bar at the Blue Badge Access Awards 2025. Oriole Bar opened its doors in its new Covent Garden site with a mission to be fully inclusive across the entire venue, from enjoying an aperitif on the outdoor terrace to dining with live music in the underground space.

“An inclusive venue sends a strong message: everyone is welcome, and everyone belongs,” Jacopo continues.” That mindset doesn’t just elevate the guest experience; it strengthens the industry as a whole by embracing diversity in all its forms.”

Structural and physical improvements

“One of our most valued regular guests visited our former location many times while using a wheelchair,” says Jacopo. “From the very beginning of planning the new venue, our top priority was accessibility. We ensured the installation of a lift to allow easy access to the lower floor, and we designed a spacious, comfortable accessible restroom that truly reflects the character and warmth of Oriole, ensuring no one is left out of the experience.
Does your business have steps at the entrance — even a single step? You don’t need to install a permanent ramp if this isn’t feasible, but portable metal ramps are available and can be brought out when needed.
Look at the spacing between tables — is there room for a wheelchair user to manoeuvre? At a minimum, there should be space for a person in a wheelchair to get from the door to their table and their table to the bathroom.
Your disabled toilet should be on the same level as the main floor, with hand rails included. “Four rails are ideal – two vertical behind the toilet and horizontal ones either side,” says Fiona. “Don’t presume that an accessible toilet can’t be stylish – these days, there are lots of options. It doesn’t have to look like a hospital provision.”
Offer Braille menus for customers with visual impairments; it can also be helpful to have some menus printed in a larger font size, or use tablet-based digital menus with adjustable text sizes. “We’re reviewing the possibility of introducing alternative menu formats, such as large-print or screen-reader–friendly digital versions, to make our food and drink offering more accessible to those with visual impairments,” says Jacopo. Elsewhere in the UK, Wagamama uses Braille menus to serve customers with visual impairments, while Nando’s offers a speaking menu in partnership with the Good Food Talks app; not only does this take care of visually impaired customers, but it’s also helpful for those with dyslexia and those who aren’t literate.
If your venue is dark, have a couple of tables that are well lit, or even offer small torches for partially sighted customers. 
If it’s possible, have a designated quiet area in your venue specifically for people who are hard of hearing and for those with sensory problems, such as some people with autism or other types of neurodivergence. “At Oriole, we’re currently exploring how we can offer a more sensory-friendly dining experience, with quieter seating options, adjustable lighting and reduced sound levels during certain hours to better accommodate neurodiverse guests or those with sensory sensitivities,” Jacopo explains.

Ensuring inclusive service

This is an industry built on the interaction between customers and staff, so it’s important to make sure your team training includes advice on supporting customers with disabilities. “Every new team member at Oriole undergoes dedicated training from day one, focused on our values of inclusion and hospitality,” says Jacopo. “We firmly believe that inclusivity is not just important, it’s essential for building a better world. Accessibility is embedded in our customer service approach; our team is trained to anticipate and accommodate different needs, whether that’s offering seating flexibility, clear communication for guests with sensory sensitivities, or simply being aware and responsive in real-time. We've worked to create a space that feels intuitive and relaxed, removing stress or uncertainty from the experience.”
Designating an Accessibility Champion or Team to drive this work forward can be a great way of maintaining momentum in your efforts; as a welcome bonus, this can also be highly motivating and rewarding for the employees involved.
Where possible, having at least one member of your front-of-house team who can converse in sign language can be of great benefit to customers with hearing impairments — especially for those who also have specific dietary requirements, for example those with coeliac disease who need to be very sure their food does not contain gluten. If nobody on your team can use sign language, perhaps this is something you could offer as part of your continuous learning/professional development initiatives.
If your business takes bookings, make sure your booking system is accessible and gives people the option to let you know if they have any access requirements at the time of booking. Offering several ways to book — e.g., over the phone and through your website — is helpful.
While getting rid of disposable straws is important in order to reduce the environmental footprint of your business, customers with some disabilities may require straws — particularly those with the ability to bend at a right angle. Even if you’ve taken the laudable step of ditching drinking straws altogether, do make sure you keep some to hand for these customers.
Make sure you offer water bowls for assistance dogs.

Make the information accessible, too

Once the physical supports are in place, a really simple but often overlooked thing that your business should do is to create an ‘Accessibility and Inclusion’ page on your website, where customers can find all of the information they need about how your restaurant will meet their specific needs and requirements — without having to pick up the phone.

“We're working on enhancing our digital presence to be more transparent and informative about accessibility,” says Jacopo. “Soon, the Oriole website will feature a dedicated accessibility section with detailed information about physical access, facilities and services available, empowering guests to plan their visit with confidence.”

A Blue Badge Access (BBA) Gallery that shows images of your restaurant’s accessible features is a great way to go about this. “Look at examples on our Blue Badge Style site – we could even make one for you,” says Fiona. BBA Galleries give detailed information for all disabilities, readily available for both customers and staff, removing the need for multiple phone calls saving time, money and reputation. Just like the gallery section of a website, a BBA Gallery uses images and notes to take a disabled guest on a photographic journey through a hotel or restaurant. Hosted by BBA, it appears on the hotel’s website as a social media button and is available on mobile using the Blue Badge Style app.

“Disabled people need to be reassured that they can manage potential obstacles. It’s impossible to find somewhere that is 100% accessible, as disabilities can have competing needs, but it’s amazing what we can deal with if we know about it in advance!” says Fiona. As a bonus, all venues that adopt a BBA Gallery are automatically nominated for a Blue Badge Access Award, ‘celebrating exceptional venues with design-led access that re-imagines the experience for disabled guests’.

You should also ensure your whole website is accessible, including screen reader compatibility and adding alt text for all images. 

Once you’ve made the necessary updates to improve accessibility, be sure to get the word out there. You could ask customers to leave a review on Blue Badge Style, showing you’re an accessible venue, or enter into the Blue Badge Access Awards.

Continuous improvement

Just like the rest of your sustainability work, there’s always room to keep doing better at your accessibility and inclusivity. “Accessibility isn’t a fixed goal, it’s a continuous journey of learning, listening and evolving,” says Jacopo. “It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress. We’re fully committed to making that progress, step by step, in ways that reflect the heart and soul of Oriole.”

Include regular training sessions for your team and ensure you’re staying up to date with new ways you could be supporting guests with disabilities.

Ask for feedback from customers and take their advice on board. “Feedback from guests has been a powerful motivator,” says Jacopo. “One guest with reduced mobility shared how refreshing it was not to have to ask for help constantly — that everything they needed was already considered. For us, that's the goal: proactive inclusion.”

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Head of Marketing & Communications

JOCELYN DOYLE

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Jocelyn heads up our Marketing & Comms team and is responsible for managing our content strategy, growing our audience and building our global reputation. Jocelyn holds a BSc in Hospitality Management and an MSc in Food Culture & Communications, and is a member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild. Her background includes on-the-ground F&B experience; a decade of food writing, editing and publishing; content creation for some of Ireland’s biggest food brands; and developing the content strategy for a suite of menu management and carbon tracking software.