MINNEAPOLIS — Independence drives Matt Gogola's life.
That's what keeps him coming back to The Howe Daily Restaurant and Bar in south Minneapolis.
"It's a friendly environment," said Gogola.
Gogola is almost completely blind and the restaurant experience can be a challenge for him, but he said he feels at home at The Howe.
"He is always one of our favorite regulars who comes in a couple of times a week," said Greg Menzel, the bar manager.
Mary Rohr is the diversity, equity, and inclusion manager for Craft and Crew Hospitality.
She occasionally helps out with restaurant management at The Howe, and noticed that even though Gogola would visit the business several times a week, he often ordered the same thing.
"We just wanted to make everybody felt included and welcomed," Rohr said.
So she reached out to State Services for the Blind to see if they could transcribe the menu into braille.
"It was easy, fast, and didn't cost a lot," she said.
Gogola said he's been able to find more options for himself at The Howe, but says not all restaurants are this accommodating.
"There can be a certain amount of money disrespect," he said. "Just getting the brush off, like, I can't help you right now, or I don't want to help you right now. The world was not designed for someone like me."
Normally, he just asks for the specials or favorites.
"It doesn't seem reasonable to ask them to go over the entire menu with me," he said.
But here, all he asks for is the menu.
Craft and Crew now offers braille menus at all of their locations throughout the Twin Cities.
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