PETER MANSBRIDGE: A unique dining experience has just reached Canada. You can find it at a restaurant
in downtown Toronto.
It's different because the menu not only caters to the taste buds. It also speaks
a language of food
you won't hear anywhere else. Ioanna Roumeliotis explains.
IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: The menus are ready. The sliders
ready to grill. The staff dressed and ready to go. Opening night of
a brand new restaurant in town where the goal of the evening is to have your
order fall on deaf ears.
Yep. You heard that right.
ANJAN MANIKUMAR: This is Canada's first restaurant staffed with deaf waiters and waitresses.
IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS (OFF CAMERA): But in terms of an idea... ANJAN MANIKUMAR: An idea?
This was the first one of its kind.
IOANNA ROUMELIIOTIS: Aptly named "Signs," this is a place where you have to follow the signs customers are
the signs. Customers are asked to order food and drink using American Sign Language
there are icons next to every menu item and a cheat sheet to help.
LIS PIMENTEL, CUSTOMER: "Oh yeah. Red something. And then beet.
And then...yeah watermelon. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS (OFF CAMERA): And what does that mean?
PIMENTEL: Red beet watermelon salad.
CUSTOMER: I think I'm going to have the duck. CUSTOMER (OFF CAMERA): Sign it! CUSTOMER: It's like this. And like this.
IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: Anjan Manikumar wanted to deliver a whole new dining experience
and
give deaf people a chance to shine ANJAN MANIKUMAR: Providing them an opportunity here I
think it's
is something that they deserve and they're very talented, every one of them,
every one of my staff
I'm very happy to say they are extremely talented. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: More than 200 deaf people
applied to work here.
Most of the 50 or so who made the cut have no restaurant experience
but a passion to learn. RACHEL SHEMUEL, MANAGER: It's given the deaf community an opportunity to work in a
workforce that they wouldn't otherwise be able to work in and
it's opening up a whole new
workforce for the deaf community. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: This is Mehdi Safavi's
first full-time job. An interpreter helped us ask him how that feels.
MEHDI SAFAVI: It's a wonderful. I'm so excited to be here. It's a deaf environment
where hearing people can come in and experience
our world and our culture so it's really amazing...
really amazing. And it's a challenge for me. But a great challenge.
IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: It's brand new but already there's a buzz and reservations are
pouring in. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: Your biggest problem right now is that you might have too much business?
ANJAN MANIKUMAR: I might. I might have too much business.
IOANNA ROUMELOTIS: And all through an entirely different word-of-mouth.
Ioanna Roumeliotis, CBC News, Toronto.