When you have occasion to dine out, what do you look for in a restaurant? Would you choose one close by or on a good bus line? Are you interested in a reasonable price? Would you rather eat in a hurry and be on your way, or would you prefer to have a leisurely dinner with smartly-uniformed waiters who will serve you in fine fashion? Depending on your personal preference, you have a wide variety of options from which to choose from self-service cafeteria to sit- down dining room, where your every wish is the command of the attentive staff.

A blind person recently called the Minnesota office of the National Federation of the Blind to report a problem he had encountered with two chain buffet restaurants in the area. He said that he had been told by the managers that he was not to return to their establishments unless he brought someone to help him. His experience stimulated a seminar discussion at BLIND, Inc., our rehabilitation center in Minneapolis, of just what help is reasonable for a person to expect when eating at a buffet restaurant. The bill of fare offered by this self-service, all-you-can-eat for $5.75 restaurant chain consists of a salad bar, potatoes, selection of vegetables, breads, several choices of meats, dessert bar, and beverages. The food is generally excellent. When you arrive, you stand in line (if there is one) before paying. Then (picking up your tray, napkin, and silverware) you proceed through your choice of two food lines. The first question students asked was what help is available to customers in general at these buffets? There are people making sure the serving dishes are adequately filled; others are bussing trays and dishes from the tables; one is slicing and serving meat as people pass through the line; still others are assisting elderly people and children in carrying their trays from the line to their tables. Thus, there are several employees available to provide customer service.

Students speculated on all the possible areas in which a person who is blind might ask for help: guidance from the front door, through the line any number of times, to the restroom, to the table; assistance in buttering bread, cutting meat, carrying the tray, identifying or serving the food. It is conceivable that one person could request help in all of these areas. If that were the case, a restaurant would have difficulty maintaining adequate staff to provide the needed service while holding costs at a reasonable level. The advantages of a buffet restaurant are the price, the speed, and the quantity of food available. The trade-off is having fewer employees to provide service. The question arises of what problems blindness might present to a person wishing to enjoy the benefits of a buffet restaurant. Students decided that information was the central issue. Where does the food line begin? What does a specific serving dish contain? It is sometimes difficult to recognize the contents by touching them with a spoon or fork. Where are the vacant tables? We discussed techniques for carrying the tray while using a white cane and for recognizing various food textures. The consensus among the students was that, given certain basic information, which anyone could request, a blind person should be fully capable of handling all that is required at a buffet. Of course, the way in which the request is made is also an important factor. Making unreasonable demands is just as bad as rudely and obnoxiously requiring help or information.

A few days after this discussion, three blind people went to a buffet belonging to the same chain as the two restaurants from which the original caller had been excluded. They brought no one, blind or sighted, to help. They entered the restaurant, stood in line with many others, paid, picked up trays and other utensils, went through the line to get their food, and served themselves. Occasionally another customer would supply information or answer questions. From time to time, they were offered help by restaurant personnel. Did they wish assistance in getting desserts or beverages? (These were in separate lines from the main food area.) Would they like to have someone carry their trays to the table? All three made more than one trip to the dessert or beverage line; some visited the main line for seconds. Information was the only assistance they needed or accepted. When the three were about to leave, the manager, who had offered help several times, asked them if this was their first visit to his restaurant. They said that it was and that they had enjoyed it. They added that they would come again and would bring their friends. The restaurant employee replied that he hoped they would.

Yes, the buffet is an appropriate choice for a blind person who wishes to dine out. Each of us sets an example by which all of us are measured. The impression we create will inevitably affect us all. We must take responsibility for our behavior if we expect to enjoy the same rights as others. There is no reason why both blind and sighted patrons cannot enjoy buffet restaurants.