Last Updated on: 15th February 2024, 07:43 am
Update: Thanks to Leah in the comments for sharing the excellent news that the app won’t be going away after all!
By the way, we have a subscription now, and it’s already helped us out a couple of times. I think we’ve even sold it to one of our constantly travelling friends. He watched it in action for just a couple minutes and was immediately like “where do I get this and how much is it? I think I may need it.”
Original: A few months ago, I wrote about an app called Menus4All. It sounded like a very handy tool to have around, and now that stuff doing season appears to be kicking into high gear for us with friends visiting us the next few weekends and some trips on the horizon, this felt like a good time to give it a go. Sadly though, it looks like that won’t be happening.
According to an item in a recent edition of Access Information News, the app is being discontinued at the end of February due to low sales.
I know my subscription wouldn’t have saved the company by itself, but I do feel slightly bad for not signing up earlier. Going to restaurants just isn’t something we’ve gotten back into the habit of doing since Covid. When we eat out, it’s usually delivery. But then again, if I had subscribed sooner and gotten attached, this news would suck more than it already does. You hate to see a good idea not pan out.
Helen Fernety, CEO: Dear Menus4ALL Customers And Supporters: It is with heavy hearts that Stephanie and I announce the discontinuation of the iPhone Menus4ALL app effective February 28, 2024. Over the past year, we have been proud to offer over 1,000,000 US and 80,000 Canadian accessible restaurant menus to our customers. We believe that our app has not only increased independence but also added joy to special occasions, such as dates, holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays at restaurants. Unfortunately, due to low sales, we can no longer provide this service. However, we remain hopeful that someone else will create a similar app to support the accessibility needs of our customers. As an alternative, we recommend using Aira and Be My AI to fulfill your accessible restaurant menu needs. If you have an annual subscription, please feel free to cancel. If you have a monthly subscription, Apple will not bill you any further. As we are a vendor of Apple, everything must be handled through your App Store account. To learn more visit our website. Thank you for supporting this groundbreaking product.
Hi – FYI, the app is back:
Hello loyal Menus4ALL Customer,
We are thrilled to announce that Menus4ALL has secured new contracts with our vendors, which means the app is back in the Apple App Store without having to increase our prices. Your Apple Account will remain unaffected.
We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support and well wishes we have received from you in the past week. Your kind words and prayers have shown us that success comes to those who work hard and put in their best effort. It reminds me of something my mother always said: where there is a will, there is a way. And when you need help, God puts the right people in your path. Thank you for being there for us.
We are aware that many of you have expressed a desire to lend a hand. One of the best and easiest ways to assist Menus4ALL is to spread the word about our app. If you enjoy using it, please share it with others. If you would like to join our board and help us plan marketing strategies, find partnerships, and work smarter, please reach out to us. We appreciate your support and together, we can make sure that everyone who can benefit from the independence and joy this app provides does not miss out.
Thank you for supporting Menus4ALL,
Helen Fernety and Stephanie Jones
That’s great news. Thanks for letting us know. I should probably go subscribe.
I’m trying to subscribe. I can’t seem to trigger either the trial or a monthly subscription. Confused.
Never mind. The subscriptions weren’t showing as links. When they did, they worked. And oooo! The Graffiti market is in here! It found 77 restaurants within a mile. *drool* Raja is in here.
Wow! I don’t even think I can name 77 restaurants period. That’s pretty cool.
Some of them are…a little sketch, such as some drug stores, beer stores and gas stations, and some of them are repeats in different locations, but most of them are actual places with actual food. I had to laugh at the messages being spoken as it was loading the list of menus. “Don’t worry, it’s worth the wait! Are you getting hungry?” and so on. It didn’t have to go for long, just long enough to make me chuckle.
Repeats in different locations aren’t such a bad thing. Some places have location specific items even if most of the menu is the same. The Works does that, or at least they used to. Been a while since I’ve been to one. Put that on the list of stuff that needs fixing.
and they’re on there.
This thing might be just the excuse we need to start burning through our big ass gift card collection.
I just failed to subscribe. Not for the same reason as Carin (all the buttons showed up fine), but because when I try to confirm that I really do want to pay for this thing it just sits there saying “loading…loading…loading…loading…” until I hit close. Then it says “completed” and tells me the purchase was cancelled. I’m wondering if there’s a problem with the app store. It did take quite a while to even download it in the first place. I’ll try again later.