Twelve Philly eateries that were found out of compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) have settled their cases with the feds, authorities announced Wednesday.
Settlements were made with Garces’ Amada, Tinto, and Village Whiskey, Starr’s Buddakan, Butcher & Singer, Dandelion, El Vez, Morimoto, Parc, and Talula’s Garden, Restaurant 13’s Barbuzzo and the South Philadelphia Tap Room owned by John Longacre. All of these have now agreed to upgrade their facilities to come into compliance with the ADA.
The eateries were targeted after an investigation launched in 2015, not related to any specific complaint.
“Collectively, these agreements will impact accessibility at dozens of restaurants,” the office of the U.S. Attorney in Philly said in a press release announcing the deals. “The agreements announced today require the restaurant operators to take steps to remove specific barriers to accessibility identified by the Department of Justice during inspections of these twelve restaurants. These agreements also require each operator to identify and correct violations of the ADA that may exist in affiliated restaurants and to implement new or revised ADA policies.”
A total of 25 Philly restaurants were originally under investigation.
ADA requirements apply to ramps, door width, handlebars and restroom access, the height of toilet seats and other potential safety concerns including the height of awnings, and a mixed variety of these rules were violated at the various restaurants.
