Jessica and Panera

I decided that I wanted to spend a little one on one time with Jessica this past weekend.  When she got home from school on Friday, I told her we were going to have some "Mama - Jessica time", but that she needed to pick where she wanted to go.  It took her all weekend to decide.  I asked her quite a few times, and she really had a hard time coming up with a location.  I really wanted her to tell me where she wanted to go because it was a round about way of getting her to express some emotion. 

Finally on Sunday I started to give her examples of places we have been to in the past that she had enjoyed.  Jessica decided that she wanted to have lunch at Panera with me.

We got there around 1:30, and the place was PACKED.  We could barely get in the door.  Before ordering we tried to find a seat, knowing that walking around with a full tray of food would make it more difficult to maneuver through the bustling restaurant.

Finally locating a table, we put our coats on the chairs to save it.  When we came back  I could tell that Jessica seemed a little rattled.  I looked around and realized that this was an incredibly hard place for a person with sensory issues to be in .  Not only was it was loud, but people were crammed in everywhere.  Every time someone walked by our table they knocked something off.  It was THAT crowded.

At that point I started to realize that not only was it a sensory nightmare, but anyone who had any kind of physical disability would not be able to navigate through the restaurant.  People were squished into booths, chairs jutted out into already small aisles, and patrons were wandering around carrying hot trays of food.  A person with a disability would have to try and find a table at the front of the space to have any hope of being able to enjoy themselves.  God help them if they had to go to the bathroom, because that was at the back of the place.

I asked Jessica if it was hard to be at Panera when it was this loud and crowded.  She answered right away stating, "Yes, it makes me anxious."  You could have knocked me over with a feather!  Jessica never answers questions about feelings on the first try.  I then asked her what we could do to make her feel less anxious.  I, of course was thinking that she would ask to leave, but instead she mumbled, "eat my soup."  So Jessica ate her soup, drank her Sierra Mist and we got out of there as soon as we could. 

It still resonates with me that a company known for socially thoughtful practices doesn't take a look at their spaces and factor in people with physical disabilities.  I will concede that they have a sign at the front registers with the handicap symbol that allows people with disabilities to order at an easier access point.  What happens after ordering their food?  What if there are no spaces available up front?  Having a tray full of food and nowhere to eat it is not fun.  Just sayin'.