Press Release

Disability Rights Center Files Suit Against a Pair of Little Rock Restaurants

LITTLE ROCK--Disability Rights Center (DRC) today announced the filing of two lawsuits as a part of its ongoing campaign to bring area restaurants into compliance with the provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

The lawsuits, which name Shogun, Inc., and Sims Bar-B-Que No. 2, Inc., respectively, as defendants, are the first in a series of two per month that will be filed through September 30, 2003 by DRC.

"The issue of access to restaurants is an important one to people with disabilities," DRC Executive Director Nan Ellen East said. "Central Arkansas restaurants are receiving millions annually from consumers, but they continue to discriminate against a vital portion of the population. We feel that it is our responsibility to help ensure equal access to these establishments for people with disabilities and put an end to this discrimination."

In 1998, DRC entered into a settlement agreement with more than 30 area Wendy's Restaurants that brought the restaurants into compliance with the accessibility standards set forth by the ADA.

More recently, in the fall of 2001, DRC began focusing on the primary, "front-door" accessibility of 94 selected local restaurants, the vast majority of which had previously held themselves out to the public (or had been advertised as such by other entities) as accessible to people with disabilities.

In doing so, DRC simply considered the respective businesses' accessible parking (or lack thereof), route to the restaurant and entrance. DRC did not consider any elements of accessibility beyond the front door of the eateries.

Despite the limited scope of the survey, an overwhelming majority of the businesses that were surveyed failed to meet the requirements of the ADA that were surveyed by DRC.

Shogun, Inc., and Sims Bar-B-Que No. 2, Inc., were two of the most inaccessible restaurants surveyed. Additionally, the owners of both restaurants declined repeated requests from DRC to comply with the ADA, prompting the litigation that was announced today.