RESTAURANTS

Touching Gesture: A small thing can sometimes make all the difference.

The 70 El Torito restaurants in Southern California have started offering Braille menus to blind patrons. The idea resulted from a brainstorming session on how the chain, based in Irvine, can better accommodate the handicapped. The response from blind guests, restaurant executives say, has already been overwhelming.

“Tonight I had one the best experiences of my life at your restaurant,” one diner wrote. “My wife thought so, too, because she didn’t have to read (me) the menu.”

El Torito, a division of Restaurant Enterprises Group Inc., plans to offer Braille menus at its other restaurants nationwide.