Wheelchair-bound resident Peter Bannon ate his breakfast at the fast-food outlet in Dumaresq Street every morning since his wife died two years ago.

“It was one of the simple pleasures of life, a hash brown and coffee,” Mr Bannon said.

But after complaining about the self-opening doors frequently failing, he arrived one morning to find they had been replaced, effectively denying him access.

“It’s made it virtually impossible for me to gain access to Hungry Jack’s,” the Vietnam veteran said yesterday.

A Hungry Jack’s spokeswoman said on Monday the outlet had been fitted with a new entry door to address security and customer safety concerns.

It was a move that drew the ire of anti-discrimination board of NSW acting president Elizabeth Wing, as well as a rethink by Hungry Jack’s management.

Ms Wing said: “Under federal and state laws it is mandatory to allow reasonable access to all people, irrespective of whether they are disabled.”

Even if there was a security issue with the self-opening doors, their replacement should not make disabled access impossible.

Furthermore, Hungry Jack’s should be concerned with security and safety of all customers, not only those who were able bodied, she said.

Her response forced a backflip by Hungry Jack’s management.

By Tuesday, the spokeswoman  said: “Hungry Jack’s Armidale is repairing its automatic door and expects it to be fully operational in the coming weeks.

“Mr Bannon is a regular customer, well-known to crew and the company hope he continues to enjoy his visits to the restaurant.”

Mr Bannon said he was not the only customer who found it difficult to access the outlet using the new doors.

“I have been told it will be fixed within a fortnight and I will wait and see,” he said.

Hungry Jack’s was one of the few places he was able to access easily in his wheelchair, Mr Bannon said, hence his patronage to the outlet.