Braillito Maps · Accessibility guides
Accessible restaurants: the entrance, the table, the restroom and the menu
A restaurant is accessible when you can get in, reach a table that fits a wheelchair, use the restroom and order like any other customer. In the United States, restaurants and bars are public accommodations under the ADA, and the 2010 ADA Standards set how many seats at the tables must be accessible and how high those tables are.
This is a summary. The official 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are the reference.
Getting in and getting around
Restaurants and bars are among the 12 categories of public accommodations the ADA covers, whatever their size (ADA primer for small business). Inside, an accessible route has to reach every dining area, including raised or sunken areas and outdoor seating (2010 ADA Standards, 206.2.5).
In an existing building, the Department of Justice lists moving tables and chairs among the kinds of barrier removal that can be readily achievable. When a restaurant with several steps at its entrance cannot afford a ramp or a lift, it must offer its services another way if that is readily achievable, such as takeout (ADA primer for small business).
Door widths, thresholds and ramps are covered in ADA door width and ADA ramp slope.
Tables and counters
| Element | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| How many | at least 5 % of the seating and standing spaces at dining surfaces, dispersed throughout the space | 2010 ADA Standards, 226.1 and 226.2 |
| Height | top of the table 28 to 34 inches (710–865 mm) above the floor | 2010 ADA Standards, 902.3 |
| Space | a clear floor space for a forward approach, with knee and toe clearance underneath | 2010 ADA Standards, 902.2 |
| For children | may follow 902.4 instead: tables 26 to 30 inches (660–760 mm) high | 2010 ADA Standards, 902.1, exception, and 902.4.2 |
| Sales and service counters | a portion at least 36 inches (915 mm) long and no more than 36 inches high for a side approach, or 30 inches (760 mm) long with knee space for a forward approach | 2010 ADA Standards, 904.4 |
| Food service lines | tray slides 28 to 34 inches (710–865 mm) high; self-service shelves and dispensers within reach | 2010 ADA Standards, 904.5 |
The knee and toe space under the table, the dispersion of the accessible seats and the exceptions are in ADA table height. Where a bar is a dining surface and where it is a service counter, how many counters need a low section and what an existing counter can do instead are in ADA counter height.
The restroom
An accessible restroom has a 60-inch (1525 mm) turning space, a toilet seat 17 to 19 inches (430–485 mm) high and grab bars 33 to 36 inches (840–915 mm) up (2010 ADA Standards, 603.2.1, 604.4 and 609.4). Removing barriers to public restrooms comes third in the order the ADA regulations suggest, after access from the sidewalk and parking and access to the goods and services (ADA primer for small business).
Every measurement is in ADA bathroom requirements.
The menu and the service
The 2010 ADA Standards exempt menus from their sign requirements (2010 ADA Standards, 216.1), but a restaurant still has to communicate effectively with blind customers: the Department of Justice gives reading the menu to the customer, or having it in audio, as examples (ADA primer for small business).
A braille menu gives a blind diner independence. To see what yours would look like, try the braille translator, then have it embossed.
Service animals: places that sell or prepare food must generally let them into public areas, even if state or local health codes prohibit animals, and cannot isolate their handlers from other customers (ADA.gov service animal guidance). See guide dogs.
Five questions to ask before you go
- Is the entrance step-free, and how wide is the door?
- Is there a table a wheelchair can pull up to, not only high-top tables or booths?
- Is the accessible restroom kept clear, or is it used for storage?
- Is the menu available in braille, large print or audio, or will staff read it?
- Do staff know that service animals are allowed?
Frequently asked questions
What makes a restaurant ADA accessible?
An accessible route to every dining area, at least 5 % of seating at tables 28 to 34 inches (710–865 mm) high with knee space, an accessible restroom, and policies that serve customers with disabilities, such as admitting service animals (2010 ADA Standards, 206.2.5, 226.1 and 902.3; ADA.gov service animal guidance).
How many accessible tables does a restaurant need?
At least 5 % of the seating and standing spaces at dining surfaces must be accessible, spread throughout the restaurant (2010 ADA Standards, 226.1 and 226.2). The details are in ADA table height.
How high is an ADA accessible table?
The top is 28 to 34 inches (710–865 mm) above the floor (2010 ADA Standards, 902.3); the space under it is in ADA table height.
Does a restaurant need a braille menu?
The 2010 ADA Standards exempt menus from their sign rules; the restaurant must still communicate effectively, for example by reading the menu to the customer (2010 ADA Standards, 216.1; ADA primer for small business).
How can I find accessible restaurants near me?
In Braillito Maps, every place answers ten questions: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible restroom, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment. It is filled in by the people who need it.
More accessibility guides
- ADA table height: how high an accessible table, desk or work surface is, the knee and toe space under it, and how many have to comply.
- ADA compliance: a checklist for small businesses, with the 2010 Standards section behind each item.
- ADA bathroom requirements: toilet height and position, grab bar height, sink height, stall sizes and turning space.
- Guide dogs: how they work, where they can go under the ADA, and how to act around one.
- Braille signage: which signs need braille under the ADA, how high they go, on which side of the door, and the size of the dots.
- All accessibility guides
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these official texts, which we read in October 2026.
- 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. U.S. Department of Justice, published September 15, 2010; required for new work since March 15, 2012.
- ADA Requirements: Service Animals. U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), last updated February 28, 2020.
- ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business. U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), last updated February 28, 2020.
Braillito Maps
Find places with ramps, accessible toilets or tactile paving near you in Braillito Maps
In Braillito Maps, every place answers ten questions. One is braille signage: whether signs or buttons can also be read by touch. Another, separate one is the braille menu. It is built by the people who need it, and every place gets a score out of ten.
Free · No ads · For iPhone