Why Restaurants Are the #1 Target in ADA Lawsuits—And 4 DIY Tips on How to Protect Your Brand
In recent years, one trend has become alarmingly clear: restaurants are at the top of the list when it comes to ADA website lawsuits. In fact, nearly 40% of all digital accessibility litigations in the U.S. involve food service businesses.
Whether you're running a local café, managing a nationwide chain, or supporting restaurant websites as a developer or agency, this should be a wake-up call. Digital accessibility is no longer optional—it’s mission-critical.
Let’s break down why this is happening, what it means for your business, and 4 practical, do-it-yourself ways to protect your brand.
Why Are Restaurants Being Targeted?
There are three key reasons:
1. Essential Services Have Gone Digital
Since 2020, digital experiences like:
browsing a menu,
placing an order,
booking a reservation, and
locating store hours
…are now core services. If someone can’t complete these actions due to inaccessibility, it’s a direct violation of their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
2. High Turnover of Tech and Content
Many restaurants rely on cookie-cutter templates or third-party tools that weren’t built for accessibility. With frequent updates, specials, and vendor changes, accessibility often gets skipped.
3. Scanning Bots and Repeat Plaintiffs
Automated tools and legal firms actively scan restaurant websites looking for accessibility violations. It only takes one missing alt tag or inaccessible menu PDF to trigger a lawsuit—often without any warning.
What Do These Lawsuits Look Like?
ADA lawsuits typically allege that a restaurant’s website or mobile app:
Can’t be navigated using a screen reader
Lacks alt text for food photos
Relies on inaccessible PDFs or ordering widgets
Has forms or buttons that don’t work with keyboard-only users
The impact?
Costly settlements ($10,000–$50,000+)
Mandatory remediation deadlines
Legal fees and reputational damage🧯
4 DIY Tips to Protect Your Brand
You don’t need to be a tech expert to catch major accessibility risks. Here are four hands-on ways to assess your website today.
1. Try Keyboard-Only Navigation
Use the Tab key and try to:
Navigate your full site
Open a menu
Submit an order or reservation
🚩 Red flags:
No visible focus indicator (you can’t see where you are)
You get “stuck” and can’t move forward
Buttons don’t activate using Enter or Space
2. Simulate Screen Reader Use
Try navigating your site with:
VoiceOver on Mac (
Cmd + F5)NVDA on Windows (free at nvaccess.org)
Listen to how your content reads.
🚩 Red flags:
“Unlabeled button”
“Graphic” with no context
Pages that announce out of order or skip key content
3. Check Your Menu Accessibility
Menus are the #1 complaint in restaurant ADA cases.
Ask:
Is the menu presented in plain HTML (not PDF or image)?
Can it be accessed and read using only a keyboard?
Can you resize text without layout breaking?
🚩 Red flags:
PDF-only menus
Hover-only dropdowns
Poor text contrast
4. Run Automated Scans
Use free tools like:
WAVE Web Accessibility Tool
Chrome Lighthouse (in DevTools)
Inclusve Web Monitoring Tool
🚩 Red flags:
Missing alt text
Low color contrast
Unlabeled form fields or buttons
Beyond DIY: What Else You Can Do
These quick checks are a great start—but they don’t catch everything. For full protection:
Fix high-priority issues (menus, forms, broken keyboard flows)
Set up monthly scans and manual reviews
Train your team or agency on accessibility basics
Vet all third-party platforms (ordering, booking, rewards) for compliance
Accessibility Is Good for Business
Beyond lawsuits, accessible digital experiences:
Open your brand to 61 million Americans with disabilities
Improve SEO and site performance
Boost conversion rates on mobile
Show leadership in equity and inclusion
Don’t Wait for a Lawsuit to Force Change
Most restaurant owners don’t realize they’re at risk until it’s too late. These DIY tips are your first line of defense—but a deeper audit can give you absolute peace of mind.
How Inclusive Web Helps Restaurants Stay ADA-Compliant
At Inclusive Web, we specialize in helping restaurant brands avoid the legal, reputational, and operational fallout of ADA website lawsuits. From full WCAG audits and manual testing with real assistive technology users, to remediation support and long-term accessibility governance frameworks, we make compliance practical and scalable. Our team has helped national restaurant chains become fully accessible in under 60 days—with a “fix guarantee” that ensures you only pay if we solve the problem. If you're ready to proactively protect your brand and serve every customer with confidence, book a free evaluation with our team.
Have Questions?
We Are Inclusive Web
We work with our clients to simplify digital accessibility to ensure your web and digital applications are ADA compliant and accessible to all your users. If you’d like to talk about your digital accessibility, you can email us at matthew@inclusiveweb.co, leave us a note here, or schedule a call here to discuss. Let’s make the web inclusive to all!