Drive-Through Closed to Scooter Traffic: Disabled Patron Files Suit
by Susan Davis on 23/06/09 at 2:32 pm
White Castle
So what’s a hungry person to do when the doors of your favorite fast-food restaurant close at 11 p.m.? Well, you order your meal at the drive through, of course.
That is, unless you’re riding in a six-mile-per-hour motorized mobility scooter and you’re denied service, because the drive through is for “licensed motor vehicles” only.
That’s what happened to Ariel Wade, a disabled customer from Minnesota, when she tried to order her favorite sliders from a 24-hour White Castle drive-through. The staff refused to hand over the burgers because Wade was on her scooter. White Castle says this is a safety measure in the industry and was put in place to keep pedestrians from being hit by cars. No exceptions, even if the scooter is a medical necessity and even if the 24-hour restaurant locks the front doors at 11 p.m.
So Wade consulted an attorney that represents the disabled and her complaint may be a test case for a relatively uncharted area of disability law.
No amount of complimentary burgers offered by the hamburger chain will change her mind. “You can try to butter me up all you want to,” said the 37-year old Wade in an article published in the Star Tribune. “Free meals ain’t going to work. I want to make sure they don’t discriminate against another person.”
Wade subsequently scooted her way to a nearby McDonald’s, where she tried using the drive-through lane. She was served, but got a stern warning not to try it again.
We’ll keep you updated about progress in this case.
