BLOG : An Interview with The Disabled Foodie

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing David Friedman who writes a blog called The Disabled Foodie. David goes to different restaurants and reviews not only the food, but the service and accessibility.

How long have you been writing your blog?
Since August of 2014.

What inspired you to start your blog?
My husband and I were at a beer garden in Williamsburg and we were having the same conversation we’d had many times before. We were talking about how much research is involved in figuring out if I can eat out somewhere as a person with a disability. So I thought: wouldn’t it be great to have a centralized resource to find out about accessibility and restaurants? I mean, instead of just complaining about it, I could do something about it.

Do you have any journalists/bloggers who have inspired you?
Not initially, but as I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve hooked up with other bloggers in the disability community. I’ve turned to them as resources in situations where I didn’t know what to do or just needed some guidance. But as far as I know I’m the only one who writes about the food and accessibility and service.

What has been the most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far?
The biggest challenge is trying to be everything to everyone, and then realizing that this is impossible. Because the disability community is so broad, I can only review as much as I am able to experience, and can’t replicate what a person who is deaf would need or a person who is blind would need. It has been a learning process that I can’t be everything to everyone.

What has been the most rewarding experience?
In October of last year I reviewed Shake Shack. They actually contacted me after that, and I had a dialog with their Vice President. I ended up having conversations with three other Shake Shacks and trained some of the staff on how to best serve the disability community.

Have any other companies or restaurants reached out for your help?
No one has reached out so far to say “what can we do to fix this” or “can we work together” and there are only a few that have reached out and said “thank you so much for bringing this to our attention.”

What do you want your readers to take away from your blog?
What I would like them to take away is that they have a resource available to them that prepares them for what they’ll experience [eating out]. What is really important to me, because a lot of the disability community feels they can’t go out to eat, is I want them to take away the fact that there are restaurants that you can go out to, and they will serve you with dignity. And you’ll have a good experience and good food.

Have any of your readers reached out to you?
Actually yes. I’ve had a number of readers reach out asking for recommendations, and a reader followed up after a blog post thanking me for the recommendation, and saying they had a great time and experience and that they were grateful.

What is your favorite type of food?
My all time favorites are cheeseburgers and cheesecake!

Keep up with David on his Disabled Foodie blog at http://www.thedisabledfoodie.com/, where you can subscribe and get updates. You can also stay in touch with David on these social media platforms:

Facebook: The Disabled Foodie

Twitter: @disabledfoodie

Instagram: thedisabledfoodie

YouTube: The Disabled Foodie

Written by Joanna Bailet