The Traveling Wheelchair

281 Main Street
Falmouth, MA 02540
Phone: 508-457-0100
http://www.artiescafe.com/

While traveling in Falmouth, my friends and I stopped for a bite to eat at Artie’s Café. This restaurant is wheelchair accessible with only a few obstacles.

Handicap parking spaces are located on Main Street. The wheelchair access slopes to the side walk are ONLY located at either end of the sidewalk and not always near the handicap parking spaces. Persons in wheelchairs need to use CAUTION while wheeling on Main Street to access wheelchair accessible slopes for there is a lot of traffic on this street.

The entry doors are not automatic; Kellie held the door open for me, while Kevin pushed my manual wheelchair inside. Kevin had a difficult time wheeling my chair over a two inch lip at the threshold of the door; he had to tip it and do a small wheelie to get my chair over this lip. Without Kevin’s help, I would not have gotten inside.

The counter where you place and pay for your food order is not wheelchair accessible for it is too high for me to reach. Again Kevin helped by giving my money for my lunch to an employee. The employees were all very kind, courteous and respectful.

All the tables are wheelchair accessible and of a perfect height; my legs fit comfortably underneath and I could easily reach my food and drink.

The unisex restroom is wheelchair accessible and fully ADA compliant. One minor problem is the trash barrel stored under the accessible sink blocks wheelchair access so again Kevin helped by removing it so I could access the sink.

I give Artie’s Café TWO STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Three Stars, they would need to install automatic doors so a wheeler can enter independently; remove the two inch lip at the threshold of the entrance; lower a section of the counter to a wheelchair accessible height; and remove the trash barrel from under the accessible restroom sink.