But who wants to eat in a restaurant without any tables? I guess she should have researched this first, but this is breaking my heart. She works hard, and has a good product. People used to eat there. But she's going broke. She's now selling her plasma at a blood bank to try to keep the place going.
Any FR restaurateur or lawyer see a way out for her?
My sympathy. She needs an attorney to give her advice on the legalities. This seems far fetched to me that there is such a law.
Yeah, that right there.
When did she open this place ?
Seems kinda foolish, but Americans with Disabilities acts are a great thing.
I had to get Braille signs in my office, but the building management paid for the handicap bathroom - completely. It was their responsibility
Health codes are state and county laws. Our health inspector was county.
If we didn’t have the restroom, it would be an order desk only.
Did she buy the shop or is she leasing it? If it’s a lease then she should go to the owner/property manager and ask that they bring it up to code or she will walk.
On a side note to all others out there with big plans, please check with your building department before spending any money. They should offer a pre-plan meeting that will let you know what is required prior to making a huge investment and then left holding the bag.
She has only 1 option, NO Restrooms for Customers.
Close it off, put the tables back in immediately.
She opened a restaurant without checking the local laws first?
I dont see the correlation with Handi-Cap Rest rooms and tables.
I am willing to say there is away around this.
What about counter type set ups along the walls.
If the pizza place is next door maybe she can make a deal with them to temporarily use their handicap restroom until she can put one in and find out if the inspector will let her do this until she can put one in.
Also, she really needs a 36 inch or 42 inch wide door to the bathroom and a railing on the wall next to the toilet
The good news is, she saved at least $500.00 by not consulting a lawyer in advance.
She HAS GOT TO, come up with the money to get the fix done. If she has at least 20% of the total of that cost invested, she should be able to get the cash.
Has she room to put tables outside? If in say..CA or AZ? Whats the rule for that I wonder.
Then, she could have a stand up counter in the store. Serve roast beef sandwiches and things like that. They used to have one in Chicago that served them and with the sauce and all and I tell you that place was humming all the time.
“I guess she should have researched this first, but this is breaking my heart.”
Why is it breaking your heart when it’s her business unless you have some $$ invested in this. Before I opened my business I diligently researched every angle, law, by law and stupid restrictions before opening for business. My work neighbor has a coffee shop and had to simply place a handicap bar on the wall of her men’s room and presto..handicap “accessible”. My building is also handicap accessible as per law.
First thing to do - survive Put the tables back in. Tell customers she open for sit down business.
Find an attorney, but one who will not bill crazy hours. Call her local councilman or state representative for help. Tell them she’s being harassed by bureaucrats, and for now, she doesn’t have the money for handicapped bathroom, but will work on it. Tell them extension is needed for a period (1 year?)
I know a couple guys who work as city inspectors. They generally want as little trouble as possible. Tell them too “I’m working on it.” If they let her slide, no one above them cares.
She better also have handicap parking places in front, a ramp from the parking lot over the curb and handicap access over the threshold. Research, research, research.
Around here, that would have been dealt with during permitting. Does your friend own the property? My experience is property managers are happy to handle this kind of stuff.
If it is in a strip mall, then the landlord would be required to put in the handicapped accessible restrooms. If the landlord doesn’t fix it, then your friend should be able to get out of any lease and she may be able to sue for damages if the landlord knew she was going to open a restaurant with tables.
These are the stupid regulations that destroy small businesses. They are designed to destroy small businesses.
From my own personal experiences, the best legal advice to get is from a local lawyer that knows the local laws.
And from personal experience, I’ve learned the absolute worst thing to do is to surf or ask a forum for advice. It’s great to get moral support, but no one will know the facts like a lawyer from your town.
You cannot pick the best advice offered here, tell your friend, and expect her to run with it, as it could cost her more.
I recently took advice from a forum pertaining to trucking issues. The forum “experts” were completely wrong, had me a nervous wreck until I found out from the DMV the actual rules.
“But who wants to eat in a restaurant without any tables? “
I think the key point is that it is not a restaurant if their are no tables.
I have an idea. Put a sign up saying all orders are to go only. Put the tables back in without the condiments, napkins and other paraphernalia. When the inspector comes back in explain the sign to him and that the tables are for customers waiting for their orders.
A friend of mine (owner of a donut shop) had a similar problem.
He needed the bathrooms to be handicap accessible. That does not mean an extra stall it just means that the existing stall needs to be wider. Since he owned 4 shops total and one was small, in the small one he combined the men’s and women’s rooms into one and put a passage lock on it. That seemed to satisfy the town.