The Traveling Wheelchair

444 Centre St
Middleborough, MA 02346
Phone: 508-947-3358
http://www.flatironcafe.info/about/

My mom treated Tony, Ric and me to lunch today at Flat Iron Café. I was pleased to find this restaurant fully wheelchair accessible. We were in downtown Middleborough to see how wheelchair accessible all the businesses in my hometown are and this was our first stop.

Flat Iron Café opened three years ago in the building that Farrar’s was once located in. Farrar’s was a tobacco, candy, ice cream and newspaper store and it was not at all wheelchair accessible for it had steps throughout. Flat Iron Café has replaced all the steps with sloped walkways :>) Farrar’s was located within walking distance from the nursing home I lived in for 20 years and I was always disappointed I couldn’t access it back then.

One handicap parking space is located on the street on the side of the restaurant. A side entry door is not wheelchair accessible due to a step. Don’t worry though because the front entry door is wheelchair accessible. Yet you will need help with opening the entry door for it is not automatic.

Once inside the front entry door, you will wheel up a sloped walkway that leads to the main dining room. All the tables in this dining room are wheelchair accessible and of a perfect height for me in my chair.

A large flat screen TV hangs on the wall and is easy for all to see. An electric train placed high on the wall circles the restaurant when turned on.

Another sloped walkway leads from the main dining room to another room which has a bar style counter where you can sit to eat. This countertop is not wheelchair accessible for it is too high. Wheelchair accessible tables are also located in this room and are of a perfect height for my wheelchair. The tables along the rear wall are accessible half booths. One side of the table has permanent booth seats while the other side has removable chairs where a wheeler can sit.

The food and service is great. They also sell alcoholic beverages if you want a drink.

The Men’s and Women’s restrooms are single rooms, wheelchair accessible and fully ADA compliant. The toilet has the required safety grabs bars on the side and rear wall; the accessible sink is of a perfect height; the pipes under the sink are covered as ADA requires; and the soap and hand towel dispenser are easy for me to reach.

I give Flat Iron Cafe FOUR STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the Fifth Star, they would need to install an automatic entry door so a person in a wheelchair can enter independently; and lower a small section of the countertop where some eat.