Cheever's Cafe

Well, at least they tried. There are 3 Disabled Parking spots at Cheever’s. Sort of. As you can see in two of the photos, one of those spots actually cannot be used. Of course, that spot cannot be used by anybody unless that person is riding a motorcycle. And I guess that’s what really burns me. They have a parking spot that is essentially useless, so they slap a Disabled Parking sign in front of it and hope nobody notices.

Well I noticed.

The good news, sort of, is that the parking lots are on the same level as the front door. But there is no direct path from the Disabled Parking spots to the door. You have to weave around other cars and a fence. But you don’t need a ramp.

The front door is a two door configuration. A lot of restaurants have it. The front door opens out and inside a small area with another door, which also opens out. Once you get into this area, it’s just awkward. There was barely enough room for the second opened door and my chair. You can’t navigate this situation without help.

The tables on one side are plenty accessible and there is ample room in the aisles. On the other side the tables are a little closer together. We were headed in that last direction, but we were detoured to the other side.

There is an entire second level that is accessible by an indoor ramp. This ramp has a 20% incline. I made it in my chair. And a power chair would have no trouble. But anyone on a walker or a cane needs to beware.

Now the big problem: the bathrooms are on that second level. Yep, you have to navigate the ramp, dodge a few tables and then you find the bathrooms down a small hall. The bathroom doors were accessible doors. Easy to open with a closed fist and the door swings easily. Always good news.

But…..sometimes I really don’t know what folks are smoking when they design bathrooms. This one was single occupancy with a lock that works. There is adequate room to access all the equipment. Grab bars are there. Easily reached TP was there. But what was also there was a MASSIVE cabinet upon which was placed a flower arrangement and an extra roll of TP. That cabinet easily took up 1/3 of the space. There would be so much more room if they just had a small corner table. This is a case where function should overrule form.

I’ve spent the better part of 35 years living, working and getting educated on 23rd Street. I feel very proprietary about the street. And I don’t like people messing with my landmarks. Cheever’s is one of those landmarks. They can do better.

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For a review of food and dining experience not focused on accessibility, click below for a review from Urbanspoon.