He must knock out walls to widen the employee locker room, so any handicapped servers can turn their wheelchairs there. Noting his client's stricken look, the consultant interrupts his list, admonishing him to count his blessings. Minnesota, of course, may eventually adopt similar rules. Compared to our Lebanese friend, it looks like Wendy's got off easy. But fast food restaurants that use these lanes do so because research suggests they may produce faster service.
Restaurants are highly integrated operations, designed to promote speed and efficiency.
As a result, changes in customer lanes may also require changes in kitchen, cashier, and food delivery systems. Humphrey's actions may inconvenience national chains like Wendy's, but Wendy's can absorb the costs and pass them on to consumers. Ironically, Humphrey may not even have the support of the disabled people in whose name he acts. Sadly, crusading government bureaucrats don't seem to care. Few of them know what it means to make a payroll, or scramble for a living in a intensely competitive marketplace.