How to Comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act: A Guide for Food Service Employers

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a free guide for restaurants on how to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination. The guide explains ADA employment rules for the food service industry.

The ADA is important to food service employers and employees. Food service employers must avoid discriminating against people with disabilities while obeying strict public health rules. Food service workers with disabilities have rights under the ADA when applying for jobs and when working for a restaurant, cafeteria, or other food service employer.

The guide has three parts:

  1. basic information about the ADA;
  2. an explanation of the relationship between the ADA and the FDA Food Code, and
  3. a discussion of the ADA's rules that prohibit employment discrimination against qualified people with disabilities.

You can find the guide at http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/restaurant_guide.html.