Recently Bloomberg news posted an article on their website and TV program stating that Senior Citizens Are Replacing Teenagers at Fast-Food Joints. The point of the article is that these businesses are finding employees from within the senior ranks, most notably at AARP, churches, and senior centers. This is happening due to the labor shortage and because many seniors that were retired were bored and wished to get back into the main stream, at least for some part time work. This works well for these businesses due to the maturity of seniors and probably because most of these seniors are on Medicare for health insurance and Social Security for some income.

I would add to this that the clients choosing to eat at the fast food (quick service) restaurants is also showing a higher percentage of seniors vs teenagers simply because the numbers of seniors is growing faster than teens. And because many of the seniors are on fixed income and in search of affordable dining. I inspect restaurants for ADA compliance and I frequently see several seniors there for a meal.

All of which brings into focus the need for ADA compliance at these restaurants. Obviously if your client base is increasing in seniors, many of whom are disabled to some degree, then accessibility is very important. But now, with the number of employees that are seniors increasing, the accessibility of the work area is also important.

Presently the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design focus on the entry door to the work area, as shown in the photo above. However, the Standards also encourages additional measures within the employee work area to accomodate employees with disabilities, like seniors! My emphasis. So the company that makes sure their ADA accessibility is up to speed will attract more senior clients, and now, more senior employees.

If you observe a building that is not ADA compliant and you would like to know how to proceed, please see the link at What To Do When A Building Is Not ADA Compliant or Accessible.

ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, offers ADA/ABA/FHA accessibility compliance inspections for buildings and facilities, as applicable to the different laws, and expert witness services with respect to ADA/ABA/FHA laws for building owners, tenants and managers. Also, ADAIN offers consulting for home modifications as a CAPS consultant for people wishing to age in place in their homes. For a complete list of services please see ADAIN Services.