‘Starting from zero’: Hong Kong restaurants begin revamping e-menus, tech measures that leave disabled diners out in the cold amid watchdog call

While visually impaired Keny Yuen can navigate Hong Kong’s chaotic streets on his own, eating out has proven more difficult as restaurants have gone increasingly digital.

“I cannot get a queue ticket on my own, because the kiosk only has a touch screen, and has no screen-reading function,” he said.

Some restaurants have digital menus he can “listen to” by using his phone’s screen-reading function. But that does not work if the menus have mostly pictures, not text.

“Sometimes I use their tablets to place my order, but those devices often have no accessibility features, and even when they do, I cannot adjust the volume or reading speed,” he said.

Yuen, a digital accessibility manager at HSBC, said he hoped catering software developers would follow international standards for digital accessibility and make eating out easier for the disabled community.

Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunities Commission has said it wants more done too and has urged the catering industry to do more to help the disabled “dine with dignity”.

At a seminar the equality watchdog held on Wednesday last week, experts and industry players discussed ways to ensure that the technology used in catering services was accessible to all.

In late October, it recommended more than 80 best practices for restaurants, including installing ramps and automatic doors, widening passageways and providing accessible washrooms.

Dr Ferrick Chu, executive director of the Equal Opportunities Commission, has said the equality watchdog will consider asking the government to offer support for the adoption of accessibility designs. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Dr Ferrick Chu Chung-man, executive director of the equality watchdog, said it would consider asking the government to provide support for adopting accessibility designs once it gathered enough requests and suggestions from the industry, especially small-and-medium-sized businesses.

Robert Hsu Soong-Nien, senior manager of HSBC’s digital experience and accessibility, said: “Achieving digital accessibility means that the digital platform is capable of meeting the needs of a diverse range of disabled individuals.”

Under “mobility impairment” for example, he said there were not only those using wheelchairs, but also people with amputations and those with Parkinson’s disease.

Some of Hong Kong’s major restaurant groups said they were already trying various ways to make their premises more welcoming to everyone.

Ken Lam, head of digital and technology services at Jardine Restaurant Group, which owns the KFC, Pizza Hut and PHD food chains in the city, said the company was “starting from zero” but had a few initiatives in the pipeline.

Among them was an electronic queuing system with an in-app notification to alert users when their tables are almost ready. It is expected to be introduced in about six months’ time.

“Patrons now need to monitor the ticket number on a display screen or listen to the announcement, but those are off-limits for people with hearing or visual impairment,” he said.

Patrick So Ka-chun, digital and information technology director of Fairwood Holdings Limited, which runs a chain of fast food restaurants, said it accelerated the use of technology during the Covid-19 pandemic to minimise contact and prevent crowds from gathering.

But these measures continued even after pandemic restrictions were lifted, including having patrons use an app to place their orders electronically and have the food sent to their table.

Patrick So, digital and information technology director of Fairwood Holdings Limited, say “there is no one-size-fits-all solution” to developing accessible online ordering systems. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Over the past year, staff have been helping older people, a major proportion of the group’s patrons, to use the app which had an elderly-friendly interface with larger text and easy navigation.

“We realised they are not afraid of using the app, and all they needed was someone to guide them in using it,” So said.

“When they no longer have to queue and have their orders taken manually, there will be more space and time for quality interactions between the staff and patrons.”

So said he believed that the industry would gradually develop its own standards for online ordering systems, to make it easier for patrons to use electronic systems in restaurants.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” he said. “Unlike retailing, we let patrons customise their orders.”

He conceded it was challenging to make the physical environment more accessible because of limited space, but the equality watchdog’s comprehensive list of suggestions was a starting point.

“It’s hard but not impossible, especially for chain eateries like us … we may not be able to ensure that all passageways are wide enough for wheelchairs, but we can at least work on the main ones.”