Good café for allergies and accessibility
4
4
Date of visit: January 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
Easy to move wheelchair around tables and chairs. Access by going into Tesco supermarket. Disabled toilet next door out the café in the supermarket. Different choices of seating. Soya milk available. Some free from foods available. Variety of hot and cold food, sweet treat and drinks. Enjoy eating/drinking in there. Staff happy to check allergy/ingredients book. Usually not too busy. Often get a take-away coffee to take round the supermarket as I do my shopping. Downside is they now only do paper starts which is a bit incompatible with hot drink (I need straws as I can't lift cups). Serving counter is quite high if you're in a wheelchair but staff are happy to help, e.g. pass you the card machine or fetch something out of the chilled cabinet.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Easy to find the café in the supermarket. Step free and all on an even level. Bit hard to see everything in the chiller and counter if you're at wheelchair height but staff are helpful. Plenty of seating options. Easy to navigate wheelchairs/powerchairs around tables and chairs.
Parking & Transport
Good
Parking is in the Tesco car park. Blue badge parking spaces. Some misuse of these spaces but you can park in the parent and child spaces with a blue badge if need be. These spaces are close to the store. Car park is a bit uneven so it can be a bit of a workout if you're in a manual wheelchair. The entrance to the supermarket has a bit of a ramp which can be difficult if you hit it at the wrong angle.
Accessible Toilets
Average
Accessible toilet is outside next to the café within the supermarket. On the toilet door it has a nice sign that say's "not every disability is visible" Accessible emergency red cord. Tight squeeze but there's just enough room for a small manual wheelchair and a carer nut a powerchair might not fit, esp with a carer and a mobility scooter defiantly wouldn't fit in. Little room to manoeuvre around in, especially to transfer from chair to toilet. Grab rails. Clean and tidy and if not or say the soap is missing Tesco customer services are happy to rectify.
Staff
Excellent
Staff happy to check allergy/ingredients book. They will brink your drink/food to the table to you. Because the counter and chilled food cabinet is out of reach if you're in a wheelchair the staff are helpful in passing the card machine to you etc. Friendly and welcoming staff.
Additional Information
Would be good if Tesco could improve their toilet facilities. Would be better if plastic straws where available to customers with disabilities requirements. Lower service counter. Easy read allergy book. Information in alternative formats. Allergies in foods made clearer, e.g. stickers on food saying "this product contains milk" as an example. Happy to visit again.
