Restaurant Websites and the ADA: Menus, Online Ordering and PDFs
Restaurants are the second most common target of ADA website lawsuits. Here are the barriers I see most on restaurant sites, and practical ways to fix them.
Why restaurants are frequently named in lawsuits
Restaurants, food and beverage businesses made up about 21% of digital accessibility lawsuits in 2025, according to UsableNet, second only to online stores. Restaurant websites are often built quickly from templates, updated by busy owners, and rely on third-party tools for ordering and reservations. The result is a handful of barriers that show up again and again.
The 7 most common barriers on restaurant websites
1. Menus posted as images or PDFs
This is the biggest one. A photo of a printed menu can't be read by a screen reader at all. A PDF menu is often no better unless it has been properly tagged, with a logical reading order and real text rather than a scanned image.
Fix: Put your menu on the web page as real text, with dishes, descriptions and prices. You can still offer a nicely designed PDF as an extra, but make sure it's accessible too. (WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1)
2. Online ordering that can't be used with a keyboard
Adding items, choosing options like "no onions" or a side dish, and checking out often depend on custom buttons that only work with a mouse. Many restaurants use third-party ordering systems, and those need testing too.
Fix: Test the full ordering flow with only a keyboard. If it's a third-party system, ask the provider for their accessibility conformance report (VPAT/ACR). (WCAG 2.1.1)
3. Reservation widgets and date pickers
Calendar pop-ups are among the hardest components to make accessible. If someone using a screen reader can't pick a date and time, they can't book a table.
Fix: Make sure dates can be typed or chosen with a keyboard, and that the selected date and available times are announced. (WCAG 2.1.1, 4.1.2)
4. Location and hours hidden in images or maps
Address, phone number and opening hours placed inside a graphic, or only shown on an embedded map, are invisible to screen readers.
Fix: Always show your address, phone number and hours as plain text on the page. (WCAG 1.1.1)
5. Food photos without descriptions
Beautiful food photography is part of the appeal, but without alt text, people using screen readers miss it entirely, or hear a file name.
Fix: Add short, appetizing alt text, such as "Wood-fired margherita pizza with fresh basil". Skip alt text on purely decorative images. (WCAG 1.1.1)
6. Low-contrast text over photos
White text over a busy food photo, or light gray script fonts, can be very hard to read for people with low vision.
Fix: Add a solid or darkened background behind text and check contrast. Normal text needs a ratio of at least 4.5 to 1. (WCAG 1.4.3)
7. Pop-ups for specials and newsletters
Pop-ups that can't be closed with a keyboard block the whole site for keyboard and screen reader users.
Fix: Make sure focus moves into the pop-up, the close button has a name, and Escape closes it. (WCAG 2.1.2)
Third-party tools are still your responsibility
Many restaurant owners assume their ordering, reservation, or delivery provider handles accessibility. Sometimes they do, but the website is yours, and customers experience it as one site. Ask each provider whether they meet WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA, request their VPAT or ACR, and include their pages when your site is tested.
A quick self-check for restaurant owners
- Can you read your full menu on the page as text, not only as an image or PDF?
- Can you place an order using only the Tab, Enter and arrow keys?
- Can you book a table with a keyboard?
- Are your address, phone number and hours in plain text?
- Can you close every pop-up with the Escape key?
If you answered "no" to any of these, those are the places to start.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your legal obligations or a claim you have received, talk to an attorney.