There’s more to a venue than you might think.
If you’re keen on eating out, on the basis of experience and of what friends say, I think it’s fair to say you can visit any of the many venues in Caversham regardless of your gender. That has to be a real step forward from not so long ago.
I hope the same is true about everyone being able to visit anywhere regardless of age, race, colour, nationality, sexuality or anything else it’s dumb to make knee-jerk judgements about.
Whatever the progress made though, and whether going out for a meal or doing anything else, the whole issue of female safety remains a crucial one. This item by Chris Boardman offers some advice.
For access-related issues it’s a different story again. How easy is it to visit this venue or that, if you’re in a wheelchair, using a walking frame; if you’re struggling with your sight or your hearing; if you find anything else hard going. All these things are variables, but I’m sure premises owners would benefit from increased custom if they can keep in mind the needs of as broad a range of potential visitors as possible.
And perhaps the most common problem that’s also easiest to fix is noise. It’s not hard to damp-down a room to stop it being so loud – generally, soft coverings on walls will do the trick. But too often, you go into somewhere and it is uncomfortably loud. And naturally, as a result you don’t go back.
Yes, of course, as a premises owner you have to weigh-up what’s practical to do – even what’s possible. And costs have to be factored in too. All I’m saying is that the potential and/or likely benefits have to be factored in as well.
