Vilnius restaurant Augustin discriminates against visitors with mobility disabilities because it does not have an entrance adapted for them, the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office found after investigating a complaint.
In the complaint, the applicant stated that the capital in the old town in the existing in a restaurant tried to reserve a table. He asked if Augustin was wheelchair accessible.
Restaurant The representatives explained to the man that the entrance to their premises was not adapted for people with mobility disabilities. At the same time, they noted that the restaurant had an adapted toilet.
During the investigation, it was determined that there are indeed steep stairs leading to the restaurant, making it impossible to access with a wheelchair. True, it turned out that the establishment has purchased a ramp for delivery. However, the person was not informed about such an opportunity, and moreover, there is no such information either at the entrance to the establishment or on its website.
Audronė Daukšaitė-Timpė, Head of the Legal Group of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office, emphasized that the public environment and services must be accessible to persons with disabilities, and this right is ensured by national laws and international conventions.
"It's great that the restaurant has an adapted toilet, but I wonder how people can use it if they are not guaranteed access to the premises. A temporary ramp should help with this, but when people don't know about it, we can't consider it accessibility," said A. Daukšaitė-Timpė.
According to her observation, people with disabilities who arrive at a restaurant would have to wait outside and find out about access options, which would make it much more difficult to receive services.
"Therefore, the restaurant does not provide all visitors with equal opportunities to enter the premises independently, which allows the situation to be assessed as discrimination based on disability," the lawyer stated.
The service warned the restaurant "Augustin" for violating the Equal Opportunities Law and recommended that the establishment ensure the rights of persons with mobility disabilities by installing a permanent ramped entrance to its premises.
The restaurant was also asked to publicly and clearly indicate the availability of a delivery ramp and, if necessary, for example, upon customer request, to deliver it to the entrance. It was also suggested to ensure that the device is sufficiently sturdy and safe to use.
Restaurant representatives also responded
"We sincerely regret the situation and any inconvenience caused to the guest who wanted to visit our restaurant. We would like to emphasize that Augustin, like all of our group, restaurants – are open to all, without any exceptions. We do not discriminate against guests in any way based on disability or other characteristics – on the contrary, we strive to provide everyone with a warm welcome and the best possible experience.
Our restaurant provides all conditions for people with disabilities: there is a toilet that meets special needs, and the staff is always ready to help you enter the premises and sit comfortably at the tables.
We would like to point out that in many cases the premises in which our restaurants are located are of older construction, therefore any potential architectural changes to further improve the guest experience are severely limited.
However, after receiving the request, we immediately took additional steps – we purchased a portable ramp, which makes it even easier for people with mobility difficulties to enter the restaurant. This experience prompted us to re-evaluate where we can stretch ourselves and actively seek solutions to become even more accessible to everyone.
"We are ready to cooperate with responsible institutions to further ensure the comfort of all visitors. We hope that this misunderstanding will become an impetus not only for us to improve, but also to talk more widely about everyone's right to be greeted with respect," comments Kristina Kapsutytė, CEO of chef Vytautas Samavičius' restaurant group.
