Fresh Catch Poke Co.



Fresh Catch Poke Co.

5933 Main Street #101
Williamsville, NY 14221
716-271-7653

Fresh Catch Poke is located on Main Street in Williamsville. Poke bowls are a traditional Hawaiian dish. Poke bowls are similar to sushi rolls, but deconstructed and in a bowl. Fresh Catch offers an outstanding variety of different healthy toppings as well as homemade sauces. Fresh Catch also offers Acai bowls.  The food is always fresh and delicious!

Fresh Catch Receives a 5 out of 5 wheelz rating for accessibility.




Parking: There is parking both in the back and side of the building with handicap parking.

Entrances: There are two ways to get in Fresh Catch you can go in the front or the back of the building from the parking lot. Both entrances are accessible.  I normally use the back entrance and wheel right in and up to the counter.

Ordering: Ordering is done with counter service in the back of the building. You can order several different kinds of bowls or customize your own. The employees add all the ingredients along the line and have also been wonderful if help is needed to carry the tray to the table. The cash register is at a great height and everything needed to use a credit card and sign is within reach.

Seating: Fresh catch has a lot of accessible seating and they do also offer some booths as well. There are chairs that can be pulled away and other members of your party can sit in the booths or anyone could also transfer if so desired.

Restrooms: The restroom is in the back of the restaurant and is fully accessible restroom with everything in reach.

Fresh Catch Poke Co.



Fresh Catch Poke Co.

5933 Main Street #101
Williamsville, NY 14221
716-271-7653

Fresh Catch Poke is located on Main Street in Williamsville. Poke bowls are a traditional Hawaiian dish. Poke bowls are similar to sushi rolls, but deconstructed and in a bowl. Fresh Catch offers an outstanding variety of different healthy toppings as well as homemade sauces. Fresh Catch also offers Acai bowls.  The food is always fresh and delicious!

Fresh Catch Receives a 5 out of 5 wheelz rating for accessibility.

Bills training camp

Buffalo Bills Training Camp
St. John Fisher college
Growney Stadium
3690 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618
877-BB-TICKS





The Buffalo Bills hold their training camp at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. The annual event usually takes place in July and August. It is a great time to see the team practice and get ready for the season. As for wheelchair accessibility training camp earns a 3.5 out of 5 wheelz.

 


Parking: We were able to park in “lot K” on the campus for handicap parking. It was quite a haul getting from the parking lot to the stadium. Parking on campus is still significantly better than parking at the additional school lots and busing over (as I had done for a previous trip to training camp and found it to be very difficult because there was not a wheelchair bus ready so one was called and it seemed to be a 30-45-minute wait and from there; the driver did not seem to know how to work the wheelchair lift or the straps to secure the wheelchair. After practice, we had to wait even longer for a wheelchair bus after all of the crowd was already out on regular bases). Handicap parking on campus was wonderful, even if it was not extremely close to the field.


Getting in the stadium: The campus is very “hilly” and, at times, difficult to navigate. The sidewalks were easy to manage with no real issue. Approaching the stadium there is a line and a security check to get in the stadium. You need to backtrack a little bit to get in line and may have a little bit of a wait on an incline.

Growney Stadium: Once inside the gate just outside Growney stadium, The Bills have a mini store set up, as well as games, vendors, and food options. Once inside the stadium to either side there is accessible seating in the stands. The field is easily visible, and you can see the whole field and the entire practice. During this practice, however, the Bills did not use the stadium and instead used 2 fields behind the stadium.

Practice Fields: It again was a long trek from the stadium to the practice fields. There was a large crowd at both fields and there was no designation for handicap seating in these areas. Both fields have a fence around it [which I understand], however it made it very difficult to see due to the top of the fence in my line of vision. It is also tough to get close because of the crowds. Maybe in the future there can be an accessible area that is far enough from the players to prevent injury but still be able to see practice.

Restrooms: The restroom was fully accessible, and all the necessities were within reach.

Bills training camp

Buffalo Bills Training Camp
St. John Fisher college
Growney Stadium
3690 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618
877-BB-TICKS





The Buffalo Bills hold their training camp at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. The annual event usually takes place in July and August. It is a great time to see the team practice and get ready for the season. As for wheelchair accessibility training camp earns a 3.5 out of 5 wheelz.

 

Thin man Brewery

Thin man brewery
492 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
716-923-4100
www.thinmanbrewery.com


Thin Man Brewery, located in the Elmwood Village, lacks adaption to wheelchair users and for that gets a 3 of 5 Wheelz rating. 


Parking: Parking on Elmwood is generally difficult and this is no different. There is street parking and parking lots near the restaurant. However, neither of those is guaranteed to be available.

Entrance/Exit: The entrance to Thin Man is fully accessible and easy to get into the building with plenty of room to maneuver once inside.

Seating: The biggest issue with Thin man is the seating. With only two low tables situated close to the front door it is uninviting for several reasons. First, being seated up front: every time the front door opened there is a burst of cold air coming in with the crowds. This is (only a seasonal) problem but an issue nonetheless. Second, with only two low tables situated so close to the bar it was very crowded and I felt as though where we were seated was a burden to those at the bar. The restaurant has a spacious layout and could move and/or add more lower tables for wheelchair users instead of having so many high-top tables that would solve many of the issues. Thin man does have a second floor, however, they do not have an elevator.

Restroom: The restroom is fully accessible with plenty of room to maneuver and everything needed within reach.

Thin man Brewery

Thin man brewery
492 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
716-923-4100
www.thinmanbrewery.com


Thin Man Brewery, located in the Elmwood Village, lacks adaption to wheelchair users and for that gets a 3 of 5 Wheelz rating. 

Barrel Factory

The Barrel Factory
65 Vandalia Street
Buffalo, NY 14204
716-541-1454


The Barrel Factory is a wonderful multi-use entertainment facility located in the old first-ward in Buffalo, NY. The location includes snowy owl kombucha, Lakeward spirits, Buffalo’s best Cucina, pressure drop brewing, elevator alley kayak and an event center. The restoration of the 115-year-old factory was a huge undertaking and they did an incredible job with this facility; having to almost completely gut the inside of the building. The Barrel Factory earns a 4.5 out of 5 Wheelz for accessibility.



Parking: There is a parking lot in the back of the building that is paved, with multiple handicap parking spaces. There is also street parking in front of the building and on side streets.

Entrances: There are two entrances on the main level of the Barrel Factory. There is an entrance at the front of the building from the street that is fully accessible. There are double doors at both doors on the main level that are easily manageable and not too heavy. The entrance from the parking lot is also perfectly accessible with smooth access from the parking lot.

First floor: The first floor has a wonderful open floor plan. The first floor includes both Lakeward Spirits Distillery and The Pressure Drop Brewing brewery, as well as Buffalo’s Best Cucina, Snowy Owl Kombucha and Elevator Alley Kayak. There is an elevator straight into the building from the parking lot to go to the second and third floors. Bar Cultivar from Leonard Oakes Estate will also be coming soon to the first floor.

As you walk in from the parking lot on the right is Snowy Owl Kombucha. Snowy Owl has counter services with several selections. For those that don’t know Kombucha, it is fermented tea with different flavors that have many nutritional benefits. It is also brewed at the Barrel Factory. The counter is low enough to see over and grab your drinks and pay at the register.

Buffalo’s Best Cucina offers counter service as well with a menu on the wall and paper menus at the counter. The selections include salads and unique pizzas. The counter is also at the perfect height for ordering and paying at the register. You can either pick your food up at the counter or they will bring it out to your table once it is ready.

Elevator Alley Kayak is a shop located at the entrance closest to the street. They offer clothing as well as Kayak rentals and other supplies that you may need. The kayak rentals can be picked up at a kiosk at a launch point at the Buffalo river across the street.

During our visit to The Barrel Factory, we were treated to a wonderful tour of the distilling process from Lakeward Spirits. The tour is fully wheelchair accessible and easily manageable.

There is an elevator to get to the second and third floor. 

Second Floor: Pressure Drop Brewing is located on the second floor. The path from the elevator was slightly cramped with different games on the shelves for visitors to play (if they choose). I found it to be a little tight overall upstairs with the crowd between the bar and with some higher tables set up as well. They also do have low tables and other places to sit. It was a little difficult to get to the bar to order; getting through the crowd. The other thing I noticed was that the bar does not have a lower area for a wheelchair to pull up and sit there. But, the beer was fantastic!

Third Floor: The event center is located on the third floor. It has a great open floor plan for weddings, parties and other occasion. They have a bar that includes beers from Pressure Drop Brewing and spirits from Lakeward Spirits.

Restrooms: The Restrooms at The Barrel Factory are fully accessible and there is plenty of room to maneuver with everything within reach.

 


Barrel Factory

The Barrel Factory
65 Vandalia Street
Buffalo, NY 14204
716-541-1454


The Barrel Factory is a wonderful multi-use entertainment facility located in the old first-ward in Buffalo, NY. The location includes snowy owl kombucha, Lakeward spirits, Buffalo’s best Cucina, pressure drop brewing, elevator alley kayak and an event center. The restoration of the 115-year-old factory was a huge undertaking and they did an incredible job with this facility; having to almost completely gut the inside of the building. The Barrel Factory earns a 4.5 out of 5 Wheelz for accessibility.