Restaurants are one of the highest-risk industries for website accessibility lawsuits.
According to EcomBack’s Q3 2026 ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit Report, the Restaurant, Food, Drinks & Beverages category had 853 lawsuits from January through September 2026, representing 30.41% of all 2,805 tracked filings.
That made restaurants and food-related businesses the most-targeted industry category in EcomBack’s Q3 2026 data.
Read the full EcomBack Q3 2026 ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit Report.
For restaurant owners, this highlights an important issue: accessibility should not stop at the homepage.
Customers need to be able to read menus, place orders, make reservations, and complete payments independently.
Why Restaurant Websites Face Accessibility Risk
Restaurant websites often include several interactive services:
- Digital menus
- Online ordering
- Delivery and pickup
- Reservation systems
- Gift cards
- Loyalty programs
- Location finders
- Payment forms
Each of these areas can create accessibility barriers.
The U.S. Department of Justice explains that businesses open to the public, including food and drink establishments, must provide people with disabilities equal access to their goods and services.
Read the DOJ Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA.
1. Make Online Menus Accessible
Menus are one of the most important parts of a restaurant website.
Problems often occur when a menu is available only as an image or inaccessible PDF.
A customer using a screen reader may not be able to understand:
- Dish names
- Descriptions
- Prices
- Dietary information
- Menu categories
Whenever possible, restaurants should provide menus as structured HTML text.
Headings should clearly separate sections such as appetizers, entrées, desserts, and drinks.
Text should also have sufficient contrast, support zoom, and not rely only on color or icons to communicate dietary information.
If you provide PDF menus, those documents should also be reviewed for accessibility.
2. Test the Full Online Ordering Journey
An ordering system may work perfectly with a mouse but still be difficult or impossible to use with a keyboard or screen reader.
Restaurants should test whether customers can:
- Select a location
- Browse menu categories
- Choose an item
- Customize ingredients
- Add items to the cart
- Change quantities
- Select pickup or delivery
- Enter payment details
- Complete checkout
Buttons, forms, pop-ups, error messages, and order confirmations must all be accessible.
This is why a proper website accessibility audit and remediation should test the complete customer journey, not just individual pages.
3. Review Your Reservation System
Reservation tools are another common accessibility challenge.
Customers should be able to:
- Select the number of guests
- Choose a date
- Select an available time
- Enter contact details
- Confirm or cancel a reservation
Problems can occur when date pickers do not work with a keyboard, available times are not announced properly by screen readers, or form fields are not labeled correctly.
Restaurants should test reservation systems with both keyboard navigation and assistive technologies.
Third-Party Tools Still Matter
Many restaurants use third-party platforms for reservations, ordering, delivery, loyalty programs, and gift cards.
These systems may be operated by another company, but from the customer’s perspective they are still part of the restaurant experience.
Restaurants should ask third-party vendors:
- Has the platform been tested for accessibility?
- Does it support keyboard navigation?
- Has it been tested with screen readers?
- What happens when accessibility problems are reported?
- Is accessibility documentation available?
Third-party tools should be part of your accessibility review, not ignored.
Accessibility Widgets Are Not Enough
EcomBack’s Q3 2026 report also found that 675 lawsuits, or 24.06% of tracked cases, involved websites where an accessibility widget or overlay was detected.
This does not mean widgets caused those lawsuits.
It does show that adding a widget alone should not be treated as a complete accessibility solution.
The focus should remain on identifying and fixing the actual barriers in the website.
That includes manual testing, code remediation, assistive-technology testing, and ongoing maintenance.
What Restaurants Should Review First
If you operate a restaurant or food-related business, prioritize the areas customers use most:
Menu → Ordering → Reservations → Checkout → Locations
Ask a simple question:
Can a customer using only a keyboard or screen reader complete the same journey as any other customer?
If the answer is uncertain, the website should be tested.
W3C also provides guidance on documenting accessibility evaluations and results.
View the W3C Accessibility Evaluation Report Template.
Accessibility Is About Customers and Risk Reduction
The lawsuit data should get the attention of restaurant owners.
But accessibility is about more than litigation.
An accessible restaurant website gives customers with disabilities the ability to independently:
- Review what is available
- Understand pricing
- Place an order
- Reserve a table
- Complete payment
That creates a better customer experience while also helping businesses address accessibility risk.
EcomBack provides website accessibility services, including audits, remediation, manual testing, assistive-technology testing, and ongoing support.
If you are unsure whether your restaurant website, online menu, ordering system, or reservation process is accessible, speak with an accessibility specialist.
You can also review the complete data in the EcomBack Q3 2026 ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit Report.
This article provides general educational information and is not legal advice.
