The Traveling Wheelchair

673 Smith St
Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-351-4677
http://www.newportcreamery.com/

Owned and operated by Jan Companies
Phone: 401-946-4000
http://www.jancompanies.com/

While traveling in Providence today, my mom, friends and I stopped at Newport Creamery for a bite to eat. I was extremely disappointed to find out that the only wheelchair access into this Newport Creamery is through a back kitchen door. It is a real shame that SEGREGATION still exists in the year 2009 at some places like Newport Creamery.

The parking lot has no clear handicap parking spaces marked. If you look closely you will see a wheelchair symbol painted on one small parking space but it was covered with some snow today and easy to miss. This parking space is also too narrow to be considered an ADA compliant handicap parking space. The front, side and rear of the restaurant has an 18 inch curb which blocks access to the main entry door as well as to a side emergency door exit!

My friends and I went to look in the rear of the restaurant and found a door in the rear on a side street of the restaurant right next to the dumpsters. This door has a handicap wheelchair access sign which states: “For Handicap Access – Push Button”.

T he problem is that there are NO BUTTONS to push; the buttons have been removed and are replaced with just two screws. Tony, my friend knocked on this door several times but no one answered.

We then traveled around to the main entrance; a nice waitress came out and told us to go back to the rear side door and she would have someone open it for us. Well as I was wheeling back to the rear door I noticed that the outdoor service windows are not accessible for this 18 inch curb again blocks access. Even if there was access to the service windows it would not be wheelchair accessible for they are too high for a person in a wheelchair to reach.

We reached the side rear door and a nice employee opened the door for us. He apologized for the appearance of the kitchen and lack of accessibility. As I wheeled past trash barrels on a dirty floor in this kitchen, I started having doubts about eating here at all. Yet, I continued to see what kind of access the inside of this Newport Creamery offers.

As soon as I approached the dining room, my friends and I saw that there is no accessible seating for me in my wheelchair. There are only booths, which are not wheelchair accessible at all and the counter top where some eat only have stools that are permanently attached to the floor and cannot be moved.

The restrooms are in the rear and neither the men’s or women’s restroom is accessible for the doors are too narrow for a wheelchair. My mom went inside the women’s room and told me that it is too small to fit a wheelchair and doesn’t have any of the ADA required features like the safety grab bars or covered pipes.

While inside I also noticed that the inside cashier/customer service counter is too high for a person in a wheelchair to reach.

My mom, friends and I told the nice employee who let us in that we were leaving as the entire restaurant is NOT wheelchair accessible. He was kind and understanding and apologized. My mom asked him who we could contact to file a complaint and he told her she could call Jan Companies at the number listed above. We left and my mom did make the call and voiced the complaint regarding lack of accessibility.

We later discovered that Jan Companies currently own and operate over 82 Burger Kings, Newport Cramery, Krispy Kreme, Country Inn, and several  Country Clubs.  I would think that an owner who owns and operates these many restaurants would clearly understand the importance of ACCESSIBILITY.

I give this Newport Creamery in Providence ZERO STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Five Stars, they would need to clearly post ADA compliant wheelchair accessible parking spaces; provide access to the front entry door, the emergency exit and the outdoor customer service window by removing the curb and replacing it with a cement threshold slope; place some wheelchair accessible tables and/or booths inside; remove a few of the permanent stools at the countertop so a person in a wheelchair can choose to eat here; widen the doorways leading into the restroom; renovate the restrooms to make them wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant and lower the cashier/service counter inside the restaurant.