On 7 June 2023, the Equal Opportunities Commission held a consultation on “How to Support Persons with Disabilities: Practical Guide on Universal Design for Catering Services”. General Secretary William Chan Hei Lung and Senior Project Officer Wilson Lau Kwok Lam represented the RAHK at the consultation and provided feedback on the three processes outlined in the guidelines: “Entering the Restaurant”, “Ordering Food” and “Dining Environment.”

Regarding “Entering the Restaurant”, suggestions included avoiding designs with thresholds and refraining from covering tactile warning strips and tactile guiding paths with carpets.

In terms of “Ordering Food”, many fast-food chains currently use queueing pillars for customers to line up to order, but the waiting lanes are narrow, making it difficult for wheelchair users to queue and move around. In such situations, the guidelines should recommend staff to be more sensitive, actively offer assistance, and avoid using queueing pillars.

For the “Dining Environment”, it is common for families to accompany persons with disabilities, seniors, or children to restaurants for gatherings. Some of these guests may have swallowing difficulties. Therefore, restaurants should inquire further during the ordering process about the need to have food cut or provide tools for cutting food at the cutlery counter to facilitate caregivers.