Open Starbucks for the Deaf - All employees speak sign language

Starbucks opened the first store for the deaf in Japan, with employees speaking sign language. powered by Rubicon Project The cafeteria offers job opportunities to people with hearing problems, using technology and art to make the space a "bridge of communication" for each visitor - whether he knows the semantic or not. Customers can order by voice, and tablets at the checkout turn their order into text for employees. Alternatively they can show the coffee of their choice in the menu or, if it is a very special order off the list, write it in a notebook.

When their coffee is ready, a video invites them - again in sign language - to approach to pick it up. The cafeteria is decorated with works of art by Hidehiko Kado, a hearing-impaired child.

The "Signing Store" opened its doors on June 27, in Tokyo's Kunitachi City, "an area with a long history in the deaf and hard of hearing community," according to the press release. It is the first of its kind in Japan and the fifth in the chain worldwide. The first Starbucks for the Deaf opened in 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and later opened stores in Washington, Guangzhou (China) and Penang (again in Malaysia).

"Starbucks has been hiring associates who are deaf or have had hearing problems since entering the Japanese market in 1996, and these associates have had a dramatic impact on local communities," said Starbucks Coffe Japan CEO Takafumi Mingagucci. "Inspired by their passion, we created this store as a reference space."

Japan began lifting restrictions on the coronavirus on May 25, allowing restaurants and cafes to welcome customers again. For security reasons, however, the store currently serves only packaged coffees and snacks. According to the World Health Organization, some 466 million people worldwide have hearing problems, and that number is expected to double in the next 30 years.

Source: lifo.gr