Overview

The entrance is step-free, the restaurant is cramped, few tables are suitable for wheelchair users, the supposedly "accessible" toilet is a disgrace, the staff are not disability-aware, the food is over-priced. Not impressed.

Transport & Parking

Pinner Tube station is fully step-free from street to train, many buses serve the area near the restaurant. I don't know about parking in this area.

Access

The entrance to the restaurant is step-free. The restaurant is cramped, and many of the tables are completely unsuitable for wheelchair users, either because they have benches in closed rectangular bays, or because ordinary tables are too close together.

Toilets

There is a supposedly "accessible" toilet. But I was angry to discover several problems when I tried to use it. 1) The route to the toilet was blocked by stacked chairs and other clutter 2) The toilet is reached via two consecutive doors. It is not possible to open the second door without propping open the first door behind you in order to have room to open the second door. A very silly design 3) The red emergency cord had been tied up out of reach onto a grabrail, meaning that if anyone fell to the floor they would be unable to summon assistance. Very very silly and dangerous. 4) Worst of all, the toilet cubicle was being used as a store-room for several spare tables. I had to get the manageress to move them out, see below under 'staff' for a description of her behaviour and attitude. This is a disgraceful situation.

Staff

When I tried to use the accessible toilet (see above) and found it rammed full of spare tables, I summoned the manageress and explained that an accessible toilet is not a store-room, that wheelchair users need the space in order to manoeuvre and turn, etc., and I asked her to remove the tables at once so that I could use the toilet. At first she argued with me, saying that she had nowhere else to keep the tables. She did not understand at all why storing the tables there could possibly be a problem. I insisted that she remove them from the toilet. She then removed a few of them, with very bad grace, and thought that was fine. I had to insist again that she remove *all* of them. She did, finally, take them all out, and was not happy to do so. After this she sulked for the remainder of our visit. She did not apologise. I also explained to our waitress about how an accessible toilet must not be used as a store-room, because the space in the toilet is needed by a wheelchair user. The waitress didn't seem to understand this point at all.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I do not recommend this branch of Café Rouge. Accessibility is poor, the toilet situation is an absolute disgrace, the staff do not understand disabled access at all, the manageress was rude and unapologetic, the portions are small, and the food is wildly over-priced.