guide
Ghost accessibility for restaurant sites: setup, plugins, and audit checklist
Running an accessible Ghost site for restaurant sites combines two layers of responsibility: Ghost's platform-level accessibility, and the restaurants & hospitality-specific compliance frameworks — ADA Title III, WCAG 2.2 AA, EAA (EU) — that layer on top.
Why Ghost for restaurant sites?
Ghost accessibility depends on theme choice — Ghost's default Casper theme targets WCAG 2.1 AA; custom themes vary widely. The platform itself supports semantic markup, alt text, and accessible editorial workflow but does not enforce it.
Restaurants & Hospitality accessibility — the regulated reality
Restaurant and hospitality accessibility — covering menus, online ordering, reservation platforms, and loyalty programmes — is enforced under ADA Title III in the US and EAA in the EU, with the highest-frequency failure being inaccessible PDF menus and click-to-call ordering flows that exclude users of assistive technology.
Ghost accessibility challenges that hit restaurant sites hardest
• Custom theme variance
• Inaccessible third-party newsletter integrations
Restaurants & Hospitality pain points your Ghost site will likely have
• Image-only menus (PDF or PNG)
• Inaccessible online ordering flows
• Reservation widgets without keyboard support
• Inaccessible loyalty-program PDFs
• Cookie banners trapping focus
Setup steps
1. Use Casper or audit your theme: Casper is the reference accessibility-aware theme.
2. Editorial discipline on alt text: Ghost editor supports alt; require it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Can a Ghost site be made ADA compliant for restaurant sites?
Yes, provided the merchant or development team applies WCAG 2.2 AA at the source code and content level. No platform — including Ghost — guarantees compliance automatically.
Why are restaurant menus a frequent ADA target?
PDFs and JPG menus are the most common single failure mode — uploaded without tags or alt text, they are inaccessible to screen-reader users. The fix (HTML semantic menus) is straightforward but requires the operator to maintain content in an accessible format.
Does a small restaurant need to comply with the ADA?
Yes. ADA Title III has no employee minimum, no revenue floor, and no exemption for small operators. A two-person taqueria with a website is in scope.
Is Ghost accessible?
Casper theme and Ghost editor support accessibility. Custom themes vary.
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