Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse to fix ADA compliance issues per agreement with feds
As part of the agreement, Del Frisco’s will correct issues at its Center City location and others across the country.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring its Center City location into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As part of the agreement, Del Frisco’s will also identify and correct ADA violations at its other locations across the country, which include 16 Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse restaurants and 17 Del Frisco’s Grille locations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The agreement stems from inspections launched by the the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2015, which identified a number of accessibility issues at 25 popular Philadelphia restaurants, including Del Frisco’s. Problems such as high bar tops and counters, ramps with inadequate handrails, and restrooms lacking grab rails cropped up during those inspections, and impacted restaurants including Buddakan, Amada, South Philly Tap Room, and Barbuzzo. A dozen restaurants, including those establishments, signed agreements to address accessibility deficiencies in 2017.
The restaurants were not reviewed in response to any specific complaints, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. According to a 2017 Inquirer report, the department selected the restaurants based on a combination of third-party restaurant rankings and the number of Yelp reviews.
Del Frisco’s agreement with the government requires the restaurant to “remove specific barriers to accessibility” that the Justice Department identified at the Chestnut Street restaurant.
Per that agreement, issues revolved primarily around inadequate handrail placement and length, a lack of accessible booth tables and four-person tables, a lack of elevator accessibility to a number of areas, bar areas that were not sized properly to accommodate accessibility, and improper signage for exits, among other deficiencies.
Del Frisco’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The restaurant opened in 2008, long after the ADA’s Standards for Accessible Design took effect in 1991 — as did the rest of the restaurants inspected by the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2015.
The agreement also requires Del Frisco’s to establish or maintain a written policy that addresses “the provision of service to individuals with disabilities” at all of their restaurants. That policy, the agreement says, must specify that people with disabilities “may make reservations in the same way and on the same terms that other persons can make reservations,” and provide training to employees that deals with “providing services to persons with disabilities,” among other provisions.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated this compliance review to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to area restaurants to the full extent guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The agreement announced today furthers that important goal,” said United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “Restaurants and other businesses must comply with the applicable accessibility provisions of the ADA. If they do not, we will continue to take all practical steps within our power to enforce compliance, including litigation if necessary.”