Good questions deserve clear answers
Frequently asked
questions.
Everything you might want to know about accessible menus, everyday technology and making more guests feel welcome – without complicated explanations.
Whether you run a neighbourhood café or a busy restaurant, you should be able to understand what this service does and why it matters.
THE SIMPLE IDEA
More choice.
More independence.
Guests can open a menu on their own device and explore it in a way that works for them – with larger text, different contrast or a screen reader.
No special app. No complicated setup for the customer. Just another way to enjoy the menu.
Scan or tap
A QR code or NFC tag opens a venue’s menu in a browser.
Read your way
Use larger text and contrast choices, or a familiar screen reader.
Keep your venue yours
Your printed menu, branding and personal service stay in place.
First, the essentials
What it is, who it helps and how it fits into your venue.
All About Access gives a venue its own easy-to-read digital menu. Guests can open it on a phone, adjust how it looks and explore the food and drink at their own pace.
It is an extra way to enjoy your menu, alongside your printed menus, your website and the help your team already offers.
It began with our family’s experience of sight loss, but its usefulness goes much further. It may help someone who is blind or partially sighted, needs reading glasses, finds small print tiring, prefers a clearer layout or finds it difficult to communicate their choices aloud.
Not everyone needs the same thing. That is why offering choice matters.
No. Keep the menus and website you already have. All About Access complements them by offering a different way to read the same kind of information.
Printed menus, braille, a conversation with a member of staff and an accessible digital menu can all have a place.
No. The menu opens in a normal web browser on a suitable phone or tablet. Guests do not need an All About Access account or a special app to read it.
An internet connection is needed to load the menu.
Not at all. The same display choices can make life easier for many people, including somebody who has forgotten their reading glasses or simply prefers larger text. A better reading experience can benefit far more guests than you might expect.
Accessibility, explained simply
A more thoughtful welcome, not a complicated technical project.
Choosing something to eat or drink is an important part of going out. If a menu is difficult to read or navigate, a guest may have to rely on someone else to tell them what is available.
Making information easier to access helps people take part more independently, with greater comfort and confidence. Small changes can make a real difference.
Yes. In Great Britain, the Equality Act 2010 asks businesses serving the public to think about barriers disabled people may face and to make reasonable adjustments where needed.
What is reasonable depends on the circumstances. Offering information in another usable format may be one helpful step. All About Access is a practical option, not a guarantee of legal compliance or a replacement for other adjustments a guest may need.
For plain-English guidance, see the Government’s guide for service providers.
No. Braille is extremely valuable to people who use it, but not every blind or partially sighted person has learned to read it or uses it regularly.
Digital menus offer another option. They can be enlarged, read aloud by a screen reader or shown with different colours and contrast. They are also easier to keep up to date when dishes and prices change. Braille and digital access can work together.
No single product can promise that. Accessible hospitality includes helpful staff, physical access, communication, clear information and a willingness to listen to individual needs.
An accessible menu is one useful part of a wider welcome. Keep offering assistance and alternatives when somebody needs them.
Opening the menu at the table
QR codes, NFC tags and a simple link that stays put.
It is a small square pattern that a phone camera can recognise. Point the camera at the code, tap the link that appears and the menu opens in a browser.
QR codes can be printed on your existing menus, table signs or other suitable places. They are simply a convenient doorway to the menu.
NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is the technology that lets compatible devices exchange a small amount of information when they are close together.
A guest can hold a compatible phone near a clearly marked NFC tag to open the menu link. Some phones may need to be unlocked or have NFC enabled. A QR code should still be available as another option.
Normally, no. Both can point to your venue’s stable menu web address. You update the dishes, descriptions or prices behind that address; the printed QR code and programmed NFC tag still point to the same place.
If the actual web address changes, a printed code or programmed tag may need updating. We aim to keep each venue address consistent to avoid that.
Somewhere guests can find or be shown it without fuss: for example on an existing printed menu, at a table or beside a counter. Clear wording such as “Accessible menu – scan or tap” helps people understand what it is for.
Placement matters. Make sure staff can also explain the option and help a guest reach it when needed.
Yes, if they have the web link. That can be reassuring for someone who likes to plan ahead.
All About Access is designed mainly to help guests choose during their visit. Dishes, prices and time-specific choices can change, so viewing a menu in advance does not guarantee something will be available when they arrive.
They should still have ways to read the menu. Your existing printed menu and staff are important alternatives. A venue-owned tablet can offer another option for guests who would benefit from an enlarged, adjustable display.
The QR code and NFC tag are helpful routes to the menu, not the only way someone should be able to enjoy your hospitality.
Screen readers and the phone in your pocket
A little-known feature that can make a big difference.
A screen reader is a feature that speaks aloud what is on a device’s screen and helps someone move between headings, links, buttons and other information without needing to see them.
It does not simply take a photograph of a printed menu. It works best when the digital information has been arranged clearly and given meaningful labels – something we pay attention to when developing All About Access.
Often, NO – and this surprises people! Apple includes VoiceOver on iPhone and iPad. Android phones generally include TalkBack, Google’s screen reader.
These features may already be in the device someone carries every day, although the exact menus and controls can vary by model.
Instead of reading visually, the person listens as the phone announces what is selected. They move through items using touch gestures and activate the one they want.
For example, a screen reader may announce a menu section, then the dish name, description and price. The guest can explore the menu at their own pace rather than asking someone else to read it aloud.
Apple has a VoiceOver introduction, and Google offers a TalkBack guide.
Not necessarily. Many people listen privately through wireless earbuds, headphones or other compatible Bluetooth audio devices. That might mean AirPods or, for some people, compatible audio-enabled smart glasses such as certain Meta glasses.
The sound comes from the guest’s own device and is controlled by their preferences. Others may prefer the phone speaker or a connected braille display. There is no single way everybody uses a screen reader.
No. Many guests simply want a clearer visual menu. All About Access includes display options such as larger type, different contrast and font choices.
These visual settings and a screen reader are separate ways of accessing information. Guests can use the approach that suits them.
It is usually best to ask first rather than changing somebody’s device settings without permission. Experienced screen-reader users will normally have their own preferred setup.
If somebody is curious, your team can explain that the features exist and point them towards the relevant Accessibility settings. Remember that turning a screen reader on changes how a device responds to touch, so a quick demonstration should be offered with care.
Practical questions for venues
Everyday operation without another complicated system.
So it can be a dedicated, managed menu service without requiring you to rebuild or continually update your existing website. All About Access can maintain the menu platform and improve accessibility features centrally, while you continue running your own site as normal.
It also keeps the digital menu separate from other website features such as bookings or online sales. Your customers simply follow a link to your venue’s menu.
The public menu is intended for browsing, not for processing payments or taking orders. Guests do not need to enter card details, a name or an account to read it.
Menu pages should be served over HTTPS, which helps protect the connection between the guest and the website. As with any online service, security also depends on continued maintenance and good hosting practices; we do not claim that any website is risk-free.
Normal technical server records may still be created, so data handling and privacy information remain important.
The menu is designed to be a focused page rather than a large copy of your main website. Separate hosting can also reduce its dependence on changes to your own site.
Actual loading speed and availability still depend on the guest’s connection, their device and the menu service itself. It would not be right to promise that it could never be interrupted.
Yes. The venue editor is designed to make everyday changes straightforward. You can update menu sections, dishes, descriptions and prices, and hide items that are not currently available.
The idea is simple: keep the menu accurate without having to ask a web developer to make every small change.
It could be a lovely extra service. A basic tablet opened directly to your menu can give somebody a larger screen for easier visual reading. A guest can then increase text size or choose a more comfortable colour setting without using their own phone.
Keep the tablet charged, connected, clean and easy for staff to offer. Use a restricted or guest-friendly setup with no personal accounts left signed in. It is mainly an option for visual reading; guests who rely on a screen reader may prefer their own familiar device.
No. This is a menu-reading service, not a payment or ordering system. A feature called My Menu Choices helps guests keep a temporary list of things they may wish to order or show to a member of staff. It does not send an order to the kitchen or replace speaking to staff.
Menus can show relevant dietary information, but food allergies and ingredient questions should always be confirmed with the venue team before an order is placed. A label on a menu is not a promise that an item is suitable for every person.
All About Access helps guests read the information; it does not replace staff guidance or your normal allergen procedures.
Growing together
Thoughtful improvements, shaped by real guests and venues.
That is very much the intention. We are continuing to refine the accessibility experience and are exploring useful tools for venues, including printable branded menus using existing menu information, visitor insights and a built-in QR-code generator.
These are planned ideas, not features we are promising are available today or by a particular date. The Features page explains what is currently available and what is on the roadmap.
Simple visitor statistics are something we would like to offer in the future. They could help a venue understand how often people open its accessible menu.
This is not part of the current confirmed feature set. Any future reporting will need to be designed with privacy and relevant cookie rules in mind.
Please do. A question from one customer or a good idea from one venue may lead to something that helps people in many other places.
All About Access is a growing, independently developed service. Feedback from people using the menus is central to making them better.
It can help you show prospective guests that you have thought about different needs and offer more ways to browse the menu. For some people, knowing that information will be easier to access could influence where they feel comfortable visiting.
We would never promise extra bookings or sales. The most important benefit is making the experience more welcoming.
LET’S MAKE IT EASIER
Still wondering
about something?
All About Access is growing with the venues and guests who use it. We welcome practical questions, suggestions and ideas – especially if they help somebody enjoy a menu more independently.
