A wheelchair user has criticised a Bristol restaurant after it denied his request to book a table outside, saying it could not make an exception to its policy. David Higgs said he felt The Olive Shed showed a 'lack of common sense and understanding', after he tried to book a meal with his son for Father's Day.
Expecting the restaurant to be busy, he called to reserve a table in advance but was refused because the outdoor tables cannot be pre-booked. The popular tapas restaurant at the Harbourside only allows indoor seating to be booked in advance, and not the 10 outdoor tables in case of adverse weather conditions.
The restaurant has said it 'refutes that the customer was denied the right to have adjustments made'. It said staff were 'extremely polite, diligent and respectful' in explaining that only indoor tables could be booked, although they would do their best to seat him outside if there was a table available. But the majority of the indoor seating is not wheelchair-accessible because it is located up a flight of stairs.
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Although there is a limited number of tables downstairs, Mr Higgs said he was concerned the space is small and subject to a constant flow of staff and customers, so not suitable for his wheelchair. The restaurant says it does not allow bookings outside because if customers need to move indoors due to weather, they risk being left with nowhere to sit if they are also fully booked inside.
The Olive Shed owner Anastasia O’Shea, said that since opening the harbourside restaurant 22 years ago they 'have always welcomed customers' and 'tried to accommodate their needs'. But Mr Higgs said that if he had been given a justification for the refusal he would not have felt the need to complain.
Mr Higgs, who has been a wheelchair user for 37 years following a spinal injury, believes that attitudes towards his disability have changed for the better over the years. He said that attitudes have improved a lot over the years, which he believes is a result of the Equality Act which became UK law in 2010.
Mr Higgs, who lives in a village on the edge of Bristol, suspected the outdoor area to be busy and did not want to turn up on Father’s Day without a reservation, so booked The Cottage Inn instead. On Father’s Day the main restaurant area at The Olive Shed ended up being fully booked and it rained sporadically, although some outdoor seating is sheltered from the rain via a gazebo.
Walk-in policy
Mr Higgs said: “As a wheelchair user for 37 years I am not one who normally ‘bangs the disability drum’. I have been to The Olive Shed at Wapping Wharf several times.
“They do not have any tables you can book as a wheelchair user except one right in the entrance, which is hopeless. They do however have lots of outside tables, but only available on ‘a first-come first-served basis’.
“I wanted to go out with my son on Father’s Day and tried to persuade the Olive Shed to book me an outside table, as no doubt it may be busy. However they refused saying they would not change their ‘walk-in’ policy for their outdoor tables.
“I couldn't quite believe the conversation, the person on the phone was not even looking for a solution. I don’t think this is the sort of attitude I would expect in Bristol.
“Usually everyone tends to bend over backwards to help. Businesses have taken attention to legislation that reasonable adjustments need to be made and most realise it’s in their interests. The logic, lack of common sense and understanding in their attitude defeats me and I think needs to be highlighted.”
What has the restaurant said?
Owner Ms O’Shea said: “On this occasion the person who tried to book a table was told that we have a downstairs inside area that they could book. And that if they turned up for outside seating, we would endeavour to locate them a table, although the weather and wait times can’t be guaranteed.
“The customer flatly refused and said they wanted to reserve a table outside as it would be busy and they didn’t want to wait for a table. They demanded we change the policy for them on this occasion.
“As you can see we were put in a tricky situation as it is difficult to tell someone that if it rains we have no way of accommodating them inside if we are fully booked. In the event of Father’s Day it did rain - no-one wants to sit in the rain eating their lunch.
“So, I completely refute that the customer was denied the right to have adjustments made. My team were extremely polite, diligent and respectful.
“We had lots of people requesting to reserve a table in our outside area. In fact, I had two of my closest friends request a last minute Father's Day table outside and they were given exactly the same response.
“And as it happens, we had another wheelchair user in on Father's Day for a first-come first-served table outside. My team happily accommodated their needs and they were happy to accept our terms and conditions.
“Unfortunately we only have a small restaurant and lots of people are disappointed when they are unable to get an outside table. It is a lovely spot to have a glass of wine and some tapas. I would say one of the best spots in Bristol.”
