Making Your Digital Menu Accessible to Every Guest

When we talk about hospitality, we mean welcoming every guest. That includes the 1 in 4 adults in the US living with a disability. An inaccessible digital menu is a hospitality failure, not just a legal risk.

Making your digital menu accessible isn't complicated, and the changes that help guests with disabilities almost always make the experience better for everyone.

Why it matters

• 26% of US adults have some form of disability
• 12% have a cognitive disability
• 7% have a vision disability
• 15% of the global population experiences some form of disability

These aren't edge cases. These are your guests.

Font size and readability

• Minimum body text: 16px (ideally 18px on mobile)
• Line height: 1.5x the font size minimum
• High contrast: text should have at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background
• Avoid all-caps for body text. It's harder to read for everyone, especially guests with dyslexia

Color and contrast

• Never rely on color alone to convey information (e.g., don't just use red/green for spice levels)
• Use icons, labels, or patterns alongside color
• Test your menu with a color blindness simulator. 8% of men have some form of color vision deficiency

Screen reader compatibility

If your digital menu is a web-based experience (as it should be, with no app downloads), it should work with screen readers:

• All images need descriptive alt text ("Grilled salmon with asparagus and lemon butter," not "IMG_4523")
• Menu structure should use proper headings (H1 for restaurant name, H2 for categories, H3 for dish names)
• Interactive elements need clear labels
• Reading order should make logical sense

Touch targets

• Buttons and interactive elements: minimum 44x44px touch target
• Adequate spacing between tappable elements
• No hover-only interactions (hover doesn't exist on mobile)

Motion and animation

• Respect the prefers-reduced-motion setting
• Don't auto-play videos with sound
• Avoid flashing content (more than 3 flashes per second)
• Provide pause/stop controls for any animated content

Language and clarity

• Use plain language for dish descriptions
• Spell out abbreviations (write "gluten-free" not "GF" the first time)
• Provide pronunciation guides for unfamiliar dish names
• Use consistent terminology throughout

Testing

The simplest accessibility test: try using your menu with your eyes closed, using only your phone's screen reader (VoiceOver on iOS, TalkBack on Android). Can you navigate the categories? Can you hear dish descriptions? Can you understand the prices?

If you can't, neither can your guests who rely on these tools.

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TastyFood menus are built with accessibility at the core: proper semantics, screen reader support, and WCAG compliance. Learn more about our platform.