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Ontario AODA Compliance

AODA Compliance for Ontario Restaurants

From online menus to reservation forms — make your restaurant accessible and stay on the right side of Ontario law.

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Fines for restaurants that ignore AODA: $100,000/day for organizations that fail to comply after warning

Ontario restaurants must comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) across customer service, their website, and employment practices. With online ordering now standard, web accessibility is no longer optional — and non-compliance fines can reach $100,000 per day.

What AODA requires from restaurants

Under Ontario Reg. 191/11 and Reg. 429/07

1

Accessible online menus

PDF menus must be accessible, or an HTML alternative must exist. Images of menus without alt text fail WCAG 2.0 AA.

2

Reservation forms

Online booking forms must have properly labelled inputs, keyboard navigation, and clear error messages.

3

Staff training

All front-of-house staff must be trained on the Customer Service Standard — how to serve customers with disabilities.

4

Accessibility statement

Your website must include an accessibility statement with a way for guests to report barriers.

5

Gift card & loyalty pages

Purchase flows and account pages must meet WCAG 2.0 AA — colour contrast, form labels, keyboard access.

Common WCAG violations for restaurants

AODACheck catches all of these automatically

PDF menus with no alt text or accessible HTML version

Reservation form inputs missing labels (e.g. "Date", "Party size")

Low colour contrast on menu text over background images

Missing skip navigation link

No accessibility statement on the website

How AODACheck covers every requirement

One platform. All five AODA tools.

Website Scanner

Scans your site against WCAG 2.0 AA. Catches every violation with severity ranking and an AI-generated fix.

Compliance Checklist

All 23 AODA requirements across 3 standards, mapped to the exact Ontario regulation section.

Staff Training Tracker

Logs who has been trained, flags new hires, and alerts when annual re-training is overdue.

Accessibility Statement

Generates and hosts your legally required statement at a permanent public URL.

Annual Report

Calculates your compliance score and produces a print-ready PDF for January 1 filing.

AODA questions for restaurants

Does AODA apply to my small restaurant?
Yes. The Customer Service Standard applies to all organizations in Ontario that provide goods or services, regardless of size. If you have a website, the Information & Communications Standard also applies.
Do I need to make my PDF menu accessible?
Yes. Under the Information & Communications Standard, any digital content you publish must be accessible. The easiest fix is to provide an HTML version of your menu alongside the PDF.
What does staff training involve?
Your front-of-house staff must be trained on how to serve customers with disabilities — including those using mobility aids, guide dogs, or communication devices. AODACheck's training tracker logs who has been trained and flags anyone overdue.
What happens if I ignore AODA?
Inspectors can issue compliance orders, and fines for individuals can reach $50,000/day. For corporations, fines can reach $100,000/day. The reputational risk is also significant.

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