Nice café and suitable for allergies
3.5
3.5
Date of visit: March 2019
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment, accessing toilets, dexterity or coordination, moving around, seeing, speaking or communicating and understanding.
I use or have experience of: autism, changing places toilet, disabled toilet, sign language, speech impairment
Overall Rating
Good
Just enough space for a wheelchair. Different seating options. Helpful staff. Different allergy friendly food and drink options - they offer soya milk. Food and drink tasted nice. (My carer would recommend the white chocolate hot chocolate!) Easy to find ramp at the side of the building. Couple of difficult doors to get through and the 'press for assistance' button wasn't working but thankfully I had my carer with me and some helpful strangers.
Disabled Access In and Around
Average
Bit crowded but you I could manoeuvre me wheelchair around. It would have been nice to have a lowered service counter. There's a ramp to the side of the building as the steps us are quite high and steep. The 'press for assistance' on the door was out of order but we mentioned it to staff and they said they'd take a look at it. I could see the food in the counter (though the labels was in a small print) and menu board. Induction loop at the counter.
Parking & Transport
Bad
Difficult to get parked down St. Peter's Avenue where Costa Coffee is. There is a car park but there is listed blue badge spaces and they're often all taken up so we had to park in a normal bay which made it difficult to get me and my wheelchair in and out of the car. Free car parking here for blue badge holders. There is parallel parking spaces sometimes, but again difficult to find a space here and not suitable if you have a wheelchair in the boot. There are side streets to park in, some with double yellow lines which you can park on with a blue badge, but again just generally parking is a bit of a nightmare hence why I've scored very low. I've found the parking wardens helpful.
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
Accessible emergency red cord. Plenty of room to manoeuvre around and room to fit my carer in. Plenty of grab rails Clean and tidy. Keypad to get into the toilet which I couldn't use due to difficulty with my hands - it would be better for there to be a radar key on the accessible loo.
Staff
Excellent
Friendly staff. Quick service. Helpful when I ask them about allergy information. Happy to clear and clean tables for you and to carry they tray to the table. Helpful when I made them aware that the 'press for assistance' button on the outdoor door wasn't working.
Additional Information
Radar key for the accessible loo. I've visited before and will visit again. Lower service counter as it was a bit of a reach to pay on my card as the machine didn't;t come of of the holder. Better maintenance of the 'press for assistance' bell.
