accessible restaurant toronto

Woman calls out Toronto restaurant that denied her wheelchair access

Taylor Lindsay-Noel uses the TikTok account @accessbytay to review the accessibility of Toronto restaurants, bars, and venues — and sometimes, those reviews are less than positive.

That was the case with her recent video on Kasa Moto, which went viral after she was denied service due to accessibility issues.

Lindsay-Noel, who uses a wheelchair, had booked reservations at the Yorkville Ave. restaurant for her friend's 30th birthday. A Google search listed it as accessible, and the group called ahead to make sure.

But when the friends arrived, there was no portable ramp available. Employees explained it was listed as accessible because they could lift her wheelchair, but that simply wasn't feasible.

At one point, the manager told her it was illegal for the restaurant to get a ramp in that location — which isn't true.

Luckily, the group was able to go to d|bar at the Four Seasons Toronto, which Lindsay-Noel had previously given a perfect accessibility rating in February.

@accessbytay Accessibility Review of Kasa Moto 🙄 - Accessibility 0/5 ♿️ - #AccessByTay #torontorestaurants #kasamoto #wheelchairaccessible #wheelchair #accessibility #toronto ♬ Get You the Moon - Syf

"It was just a situation that didn't need to happen," Lindsay-Noel tells blogTO. "It's the perfect example of why having accurate listings when it comes to accessibility is important."

Kasa Moto didn't respond to blogTO's requests to comment, but Lindsay-Noel says she spoke with the restaurant after she posted the video, which so far has 1.3 million views and over 2,300 comments.

They apologized and told her they'd be getting a ramp as well as training their staff in accessiblity. She promised to follow up at a later date to make sure the changes are implemented.

Lindsay-Noel started her account around May 2020, and she says about "90 per cent" of the reactions have been positive. Now, she has 112,000 followers and around 4.7 million likes.

"I realized that my videos are for more than people in wheelchairs," she says. "They're for moms with strollers, or for a person who just broke an ankle and is in a boot for the first time, or somebody whose grandparent wants to go out but they don't know where to take them with their walker."

Beyond highlighting places in the city that have gotten accessibility right, she also wants to commend restaurants that have done the work to fix their mistakes in accessibility.

One place she highlighted — which has since closed — was the Hawaiian restaurant Miss Thing's. She had an experience there with an inaccessible washroom; within 24 hours the restaurant had updated it and gotten back to her.

It's efforts like this Lindsay-Noel appreciates just as much as the ones that get it right the first time.

A recent video lists five of the restaurants in Toronto whose accessibility she praises: Akira Back, Alder, Black + Blue, Casa Madera, and Leña Restaurante.

@accessbytay 5 Luxurious And Accessible Toronto Restaurants You Need To Visit! - #TorontoRestaurants #AccessByTay #torontorestaurant #torontofood #accessibility #restaurantreview #toronto #SeeTorontoNow ♬ original sound - Taylor LN | Creator ♿️

Most of Lindsay-Noel's TikTok content touches on accessibility in some way. Outside of her reviews, she has videos on "a day in the life of a paralyzed CEO," for example.

"I just want to just continue to break down stereotypes when it comes to disability representation," she says.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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