It was after midnight when Ariel Wade rolled into the drive-through at the 24-hour White Castle, one block from the State Capitol. Wade rolled away “madder than fish grease” after the staff refused to hand over any burgers.

The reason: She was riding in an electric mobility scooter. The drive-throughs are for licensed motor vehicles only. White Castle says it’s a safety measure that’s standard in the industry, to keep pedestrians from getting creamed by cars.

But Wade, who uses the scooter because of degenerative arthritis in her back, says the policy discriminates against people who don’t or can’t drive. The White Castle dining room closed at 11 p.m., so she had no choice but to order her Slyders in the drive-through.

Complimentary burgers and consoling words from the district manager the next day haven’t stopped Wade from taking her gripe to a law firm that advocates for the disabled. Her drive-through dispute now could test a relatively uncharted area of disability law. “You can try to butter me up all you want to. Free meals ain’t going to work,” said Wade, 37.

The confrontation on Rice Street pits the venerable 418-restaurant straight-edged hamburger chain based in Columbus, Ohio, against a onetime exotic dancer from New Orleans who until recently worked selling bingo tickets at a St. Paul bar.

Full story from StarTribune.com

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