ADA compliance · Restaurants

ADA website compliance for restaurants.

The case that set the precedent was about a pizza order. We make menus, ordering, and reservations work for every guest.

See plans and pricing

$75

Monitor · per month

$250+

Remediate · per month

The short answer

What does ADA compliance mean for restaurants and multi-location food brands?

Restaurant websites and ordering apps are covered by ADA Title III when they're connected to a physical location. That's the holding in Robles v. Domino's, where the Ninth Circuit let a blind customer's suit proceed and the Supreme Court declined review in 2019. Compliance means guests can read the menu, place an order, and book a table with a screen reader or keyboard, measured against WCAG 2.1 AA.

Robles v. Domino's (9th Cir. 2019) held that the ADA applies to a restaurant's website and app because of their nexus to physical locations.
Food service businesses made up about 21% of 2025 digital accessibility lawsuits (UsableNet).
UsableNet names ordering as one of the core workflows driving litigation in high-volume sectors.
Image-only and scanned PDF menus are among the most common failures on restaurant sites.

The exposure

Why restaurants keep landing in court

Restaurant sites are built fast and changed often: seasonal menus, new locations, limited-time offers. Each change is a chance to ship a menu as a JPG or a PDF with no text layer, which a screen reader can't read at all.

Ordering usually runs through a third-party platform embedded on your site. If it fails, you're still the named defendant.

Multi-location and franchise groups multiply exposure. One inaccessible location template repeated across 40 locations is 40 pages a plaintiff can cite.

The rules

Accessibility laws that apply to restaurants and multi-location food brands.

ADA Title III
Who it covers
Restaurant websites and apps with a nexus to physical locations
Standard
WCAG 2.1 AA by reference (Robles v. Domino's)
Timing
In effect now
California Unruh Act
Who it covers
Restaurants with California guests
Standard
ADA violations are Unruh violations
Timing
$4,000 minimum per violation
New York State and City human rights laws
Who it covers
Restaurants serving New York residents
Standard
Public accommodation access, frequently paired with ADA claims
Timing
In effect now. New York is a top filing venue

Accessibility laws that apply to restaurants and multi-location food brands
Law or rule	Who it covers	Standard	Timing
ADA Title III	Restaurant websites and apps with a nexus to physical locations	WCAG 2.1 AA by reference (Robles v. Domino's)	In effect now
California Unruh Act	Restaurants with California guests	ADA violations are Unruh violations	$4,000 minimum per violation
New York State and City human rights laws	Restaurants serving New York residents	Public accommodation access, frequently paired with ADA claims	In effect now. New York is a top filing venue

Common failures

Where restaurant sites fail

What we find most often on sites in this industry, and the WCAG success criterion each one fails.

Menus posted as images or scanned PDFs
Where it shows up
Menu pages, catering menus
WCAG criterion
1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.4.5 Images of Text
Item customizations (sides, sizes, modifiers) not reachable by keyboard
Where it shows up
Online ordering
WCAG criterion
2.1.1 Keyboard
Cart totals and item additions that update silently
Where it shows up
Order summary
WCAG criterion
4.1.3 Status Messages
Location finder map with no text list alternative
Where it shows up
Find a location
WCAG criterion
1.1.1 Non-text Content, 2.1.1 Keyboard
Reservation widget with unlabeled party size and time controls
Where it shows up
Book a table
WCAG criterion
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value, 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Allergen and dietary icons with no text equivalent
Where it shows up
Menu items
WCAG criterion
1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.4.1 Use of Color

Common accessibility barriers on websites for restaurants and multi-location food brands
Barrier	Where it shows up	WCAG criterion
Menus posted as images or scanned PDFs	Menu pages, catering menus	1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.4.5 Images of Text
Item customizations (sides, sizes, modifiers) not reachable by keyboard	Online ordering	2.1.1 Keyboard
Cart totals and item additions that update silently	Order summary	4.1.3 Status Messages
Location finder map with no text list alternative	Find a location	1.1.1 Non-text Content, 2.1.1 Keyboard
Reservation widget with unlabeled party size and time controls	Book a table	4.1.2 Name, Role, Value, 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Allergen and dietary icons with no text equivalent	Menu items	1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.4.1 Use of Color

What you get

What's included for restaurants and multi-location food brands.

On Monitor ($75/mo)

Menu audit: every menu checked for real text, structure, and pricing that reads correctly
Manual order test through your ordering platform each month
Location and franchise page scans across every location template
Reservation and gift card flow testing

Added on Monitor + Remediate (from $250/mo)

Convert image and PDF menus into accessible HTML menus you can update in the CMS
Allergen and dietary labels rebuilt with text equivalents
Location template fixes applied across all locations at once
Vendor escalation for ordering and reservation platforms, with alternatives if they won't fix

Pricing

ADA compliance pricing for restaurants and multi-location food brands.

No annual audit invoice, no widget license. Monthly pricing and work you can see in the report.

Monitor

$75/mo

Continuous WCAG 2.2 AA monitoring and a prioritized fix list your team can ship.

Baseline audit against WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Level AA
Automated scans of your site every month, plus alerts when new issues ship
Manual checks of key templates: keyboard, screen reader, zoom, and forms
Prioritized recommendations with the exact WCAG success criterion and fix guidance
Monthly report showing open issues, resolved issues, and trend
Accessibility statement drafted for your site

Best for: Teams with a developer or agency who can implement fixes.

Start monitoring

Monitor + Remediate

$250/mo and up

Everything in Monitor, and we fix the issues in your code and content.

Everything in Monitor
We implement fixes in your theme, templates, CMS, and content
Alt text, captions, form labels, color contrast, focus order, and ARIA repairs
Accessible PDF and document remediation, quoted by volume
Regression checks after every fix and every major release
Documented remediation log you can hand to counsel or procurement

Best for: Businesses that want the issues fixed, not just reported.

Get a remediation quote

Monitor + Remediate starts at $250/mo. Final price depends on site size, number of unique templates, platform, and how much content (PDFs, video) needs remediation. You get a fixed monthly quote before anything starts.

How it works

Baseline, prioritize, fix, and keep it fixed.

01
Baseline
Automated crawl plus manual testing of your highest-traffic and highest-risk templates. You get a scored list of every WCAG failure we find.
02
Prioritize
Issues ranked by user impact and legal exposure: checkout, booking, forms, and navigation first. Cosmetic issues last.
03
Fix or hand off
On Monitor, your developers get fix-ready tickets. On Remediate, we ship the fixes and verify them.
04
Hold the line
Monthly scans and manual spot checks catch regressions from new pages, plugins, and releases before a plaintiff's scanner does.

Questions

Restaurants ADA compliance FAQ.

Can I keep a PDF menu if I also have an accessible one?

Yes, as long as the accessible HTML menu is complete, current, and just as easy to find. The common failure is an HTML menu that's months out of date while the PDF has the real prices. We set up menus so there's one source of truth.

We use Toast, Olo, or another ordering platform. Who fixes that?

The platform controls its code, but the ordering experience is part of your service. We test the embedded flow, document failures with WCAG references, and escalate to the vendor. If the platform can't meet the standard, we tell you which alternatives do.

Does this cover our app too?

Robles covered both the website and the app. Monitoring is priced for your website. Native app testing against WCAG and platform guidelines can be added, scoped by app size.

Keep reading

More on ADA website compliance

Related industries

Other industries we cover.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Quorum is not a law firm, and this page is not legal advice. Deadlines and rules change. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney.

Get a baseline for your site.

See every WCAG failure on your site, ranked by risk, before you commit to fixes.

Start with Monitor, $75/mo