Wheel-Inn vs. Applebee's

This past Saturday, Wild Bill and I went to Potterville for a lawn mower racing invitational hosted by the Rough Riders. We stopped for lunch on the way down at the Wheel Inn in St John's. It's a home cooking/diner style place, breakfast anytime, plentiful food at good low prices. We've stopped there dozens of times but I don't remember ever having to use the ladies room.

I rate the potty an 8 out of 10. The overall room is small, but the handicap stall is huge. More than enough room to negotiate a wheelchair or walker, and handrails on (gasp) BOTH sides!

The restaurant itself is a little more difficult. Much of the seating is in booths, and the tables are close enough together to make it difficult to squeeze through with adaptive equipment. It can be done, but probably not without inconveniencing other patrons. Awkward!



After the racing, we went out to dinner with our friends Chris and Rich and their son Brandon. It was Chris's birthday and she choose Applebees. We went to one in  the Lansing area, and it rates a 0 out of 10 for gimps. Number one, I left my rolling walker in the car and just used my cane and Bill's arm because there were STEPS leading from the parking area to the entrance. There may have been a ramp somewhere, but not close enough to find without an all-out search party.

Once inside, the restaurant is very dark and crowded. I needed to use the ladies and had difficulty walking with my cane to the door without getting run over by a waitress or one of the other patrons. The crowd at Applebees tends to be a younger crowd, and I have noticed many times over that as a group, people under 30 are less likely to look around them before leaping to their feet or suddenly changing direction, leading to many more collisions than you'll see in an older crowd.

The restroom facilities probably met the legal ADA guidelines, but not by much. Which means that a person with any physical disabilities will have a difficult time using them. A rolling walker or wheelchair would be enough to prevent you from using the potty at this place. Too bad, because the food is actually pretty good.

Now for the main event:  the race track and pit area at Potterville! The ground is flat and easy to maneuver with my rolling walker. I used it all afternoon and my arms were neither tired nor sore at the end of the day. The drawback is the use of porta-johns throughout the park and track area. We saw no sign of any indoor flushies anywhere. But if you're only going to watch the races, not be there all day, it should not be a deal breaker. Go and enjoy some good racing!