Menus That Talk Aid Disabled Dining
Handheld Offers Blind, Hearing Impaired Audio Access to Menus
Aug 25, 2008
“We just started three months ago,” said Theresa Flores, controller for Taylannas Inc., the Miami-based creator of Menus That Talk.
According to Flores, the company is currently seeking strategic partners for testing, manufacturing, and distribution.
Accessible Menu for Disabled Diners
MTT debuted in 2007 at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, and has been a success at its first installations, which include The Original Pancake House (Boca Raton, Fla.), and Lion and Rose, a Texas-based chain of authentic English pub-style restaurants.
“Customers, including seniors and Spanish-speaking guests love it,” says Original Pancake House owner Carol Sattar. “We’re seeing more business. People come in now and ask for Menus That Talk.”
The device is under review with an international cruise line, a British food service equipment distributor, and a major US fast-food company for its value to handicapped customers. Several US museums are evaluating MTT as a portable tour guide.
Menus specially formatted for the disabled are nothing new. The Olive Garden restaurant chain introduced braille menus in 1990 and “Menus on Cassette” and a combined braille and large print menu in 1994.
Ironically, it was during an Olive Garden lunch with her niece, who suffers from macular degeneration, that company founder Susan Perry conceived Menus That Talk. “When my niece asked if I would read the menu specials to her, I realized I had forgotten my glasses, and we had a good laugh,” recounted Perry in a 2007 press release. “But the incident begged the question, why can’t menus talk to customers?”
Menus That Talk Benefits for Disabled Diners
- Portability: Diners can check menus while waiting to be seated
- Intuitive Console: Illuminated braille-imprinted buttons correspond to menu categories. Press a button to hear descriptions of cuisine, wine suggestions, sides, and prices
- Help for Low-Vision Patrons: Non-braille readers who can't see the buttons can tap them to hear categories. A second tap brings up the details.
- Help for Hearing Impaired: MTT features a detachable hand-held earpiece that also interfaces with Telecoil equipped hearing aids.
- Communication Ease: MTT includes a Service button that pages the wait staff.
The MTT device satisfies basic Americans With Disabilities requirements, and, along with the disabled, is also being aimed at senior citizens and aging baby boomers.
MTT’s multilingual capability (current available languages are: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, and Russian) is another potential selling point, especially in areas of cultural diversity such as New York City, where only half the population uses English exclusively.
Menus That Talk Benefits For Restaurants
- Complete Authoring: Restaurants send in their menus; MTT does the rest
- Professional Voice Recordings: MTT uses actors, not computer-generated voices, to bring menus to life
- Translation Services: MTT can support up to five languages simultaneously
- Personal Touches: MTT can add logos, music, and effects, even an Elvis voice for Las Vegas-area restaurants.
As menus need frequent updates, MTT recently launched Make-a-Menu™ an online tool that guides restaurateurs step-by-step through the process of creating a talking menu.
For more information, call Menus That Talk at 305.255.9600. Product presentations for restaurants are available on the company’s website.
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