Our commitment
The Malt Shop has been serving Ephraim since 1950, and in that time we've tried to be the kind of place anyone can walk into and feel welcome. That includes people with disabilities. We know we don't always get it right, and we know accessibility is an ongoing process rather than a box to check. What follows is an honest description of what we've done and what we're still working on.
Physical accessibility at the shop
Entrance
The front door of the shop faces Main Street and is reached by a short concrete sidewalk. There is a wheelchair ramp on the north side of the door, installed in 2018. The doorway is wide enough to accommodate a standard wheelchair and a walker, and the threshold is a low-profile strip that most people can roll over without help. If the ramp is blocked — usually by snow in the winter or by a delivery vehicle — please call us at (435) 283-4101 and someone will clear it or come out to assist.
Interior
The main floor of the shop is level. There are no interior steps or thresholds. The dining area has a mix of counter seating and booths. The booths are built-in and not movable; the counter stools are fixed. However, there are two movable tables at the front window that can be arranged to make space for a wheelchair, and both have chairs that can be moved aside. The aisle between the counter and the booths is wide enough for a wheelchair to pass, though on a busy Friday night it can be tight — please don't hesitate to ask other customers to make room, or ask us to help.
Restroom
There is one restroom at the back of the shop that is accessible — it has a wider door, grab bars by the toilet, and enough floor space for a wheelchair to turn around. It is not a "family restroom," but it is the room we recommend for anyone who needs additional space. Ask at the counter and we'll point you to it.
Parking
There is street parking along Main Street in front of the shop. We do not have a designated accessible parking space; the street spots are public and available on a first-come basis. If you need to be dropped off directly in front of the door, the sidewalk in front of the shop is flat and accessible from the street. There is also a small lot behind the building with an accessible path around to the front door, though the path crosses a slightly uneven surface — please let us know if you'd like assistance.
Service animals
Service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, are welcome anywhere in the shop, including the dining area and at the counter. We do not require documentation, and we will not ask you about your disability. We may ask whether the animal is a service animal and what task it performs, which is permitted under the ADA. Pets that are not service animals are not permitted inside; there is a water bowl on the sidewalk out front.
Staff assistance
If you need help at any point during your visit — reading the menu, carrying a tray, finding a seat, or navigating the space — please ask. Our staff is small and we are not trained accessibility specialists, but we will do whatever we can. Nobody at The Malt Shop will ever be annoyed by a request for assistance.
Website accessibility
We have built this website to be usable with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and browser zoom. Specifically:
- All interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields) can be reached and operated using a keyboard alone.
- Every image has descriptive alt text.
- Form fields are labeled programmatically, not just visually.
- Color contrast meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA for normal text and large text.
- The page uses semantic HTML (headings, lists, landmarks) to make navigation predictable for screen readers.
- The layout reflows at 200% zoom without losing content or functionality.
- Motion in the site (the marquee on the home page, the sliding cart drawer) can be paused or avoided; the marquee is decorative and duplicated content for screen readers.
- Form errors are announced and described in text, not only by color.
The site targets conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. We test manually with keyboard navigation and with the NVDA screen reader on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS and iOS. We do not claim full conformance, because we know from experience that small issues slip through — but we aim for it and we fix what we find.
Known limitations
- The embedded Google Map on our Visit page is provided by Google and its accessibility is determined by Google, not by us. If you cannot use the map, our address and driving directions are written in text on the same page.
- Some decorative elements (the vertical "Est. 1950" label, the marquee strip) use unusual layout techniques that may render differently in older screen readers. They are decorative only and duplicate information that is elsewhere on the page in plain text.
- The cart drawer uses CSS transitions. If you have "reduce motion" enabled in your operating system, the animations are disabled.
Phone and in-person ordering
If the website is difficult for you to use for any reason, you can always call us at (435) 283-4101 during service hours and place your order over the phone. Our staff will read the menu to you, take your order, and confirm the pickup time. We do not require you to use the website to order takeout.
If you have a hearing impairment and prefer to communicate by text, you can email us at [email protected], or use the contact form on our contact page. We check email once or twice a day, so for urgent matters please call.
Feedback and complaints
If you encounter an accessibility barrier on our website or in our shop, we want to know. Please contact us:
By phone: (435) 283-4101
By email: [email protected]
In person: 150 N Main St, Ephraim, UT 84627
When you contact us, please tell us:
- What you were trying to do;
- What went wrong;
- What device, browser, or assistive technology you were using (if the issue is on the website);
- How we can reach you if we need more information.
We aim to respond within five business days and to resolve reported issues as quickly as we can. If we can't fix something immediately, we'll tell you what we can do in the meantime — usually a phone alternative for anything you were trying to accomplish on the website.
Ongoing work
We are a small restaurant with a small staff and no dedicated web team. We know that means accessibility improvements happen more slowly than they would at a larger organization. What we can promise is that we take every report seriously, we don't dismiss concerns as "not our problem," and we make changes when we're shown something that isn't working.
If you're unsure whether The Malt Shop will work for you — physically or online — please call us before you come. We'd rather have a five-minute conversation now than have you show up and be disappointed.