The Dark-Dining Restaurant That Employs 100% Visually-Impaired Staff
Dark dining — which involves going to a restaurant with lighting so dark that you can't see any of the food — has become a hot food trend, but for the staff at one dark dining restaurant, it's an everyday reality. Madrid's Dans le Noir (whose name, according to Reverso, is French for "in the dark") exclusively hires blind and partially sighted employees who know precisely what it's like to dark-dine (via Insider).
The dark dining experience is a unique one — and if you prefer to separate your plate by food type or eat your food in a specific order, it may not be for you — but according to Insider, dark dining at Dans le Noir is worth your time. At the primarily unlit restaurant, you'll have a visually-impaired guide assist you through experiencing a meal in complete darkness (per Dans le Noir). Not only is this a fresh take on dark dining, but your meal is also sure to be memorable.
The Dans le Noir dining experience
Dans le Noir may sound intimidating if you've never tried dark dining before, but thankfully, you have guidance throughout the process. The front of the restaurant is lit, and there, you'll meet with a host who will walk you through the process of dining in the dark. You'll also choose the number of courses you want — you'll know which courses you can select in advance but not which types of food and wine will come with each (per Dans le Noir). (You can see some of the appetizer and drink options on the restaurant's website, but you won't necessarily know which item you'll end up with in each category.)
Then, you'll be led down to the dark dining area — where all the fun begins. The dining room is legitimately completely dark, and you'll be asked to put away any light sources and you will be asked to rely on your "guide" for any assistance you might need in case you do have to move around. If you're worried about finding where your cutlery or wine glass is in the dark, don't worry — when you're deprived of one sense, it can force you to rely on others, so you'll adapt to the dark environment (per Stanford University). You may not be able to see your food, but you're sure to enjoy it regardless.
Why Dans le Noir's approach to dark dining matters
Dark dining establishments have existed in various forms since 1999 . Still, in their two-decade run, not many have focused on hiring employees with visual impairments. Dans le Noir is the clear exception — they are committed to hiring staff who dine in the dark day in and day out. Sure, sighted employees would probably eventually get the lay of the land in a dark dining restaurant, but visually impaired employees have a distinct advantage in guiding others through dark environments because they live the experience daily.
The unemployment rate for blind and visually impaired people is 70 percent — far higher than for sighted people (via WS Blind). Employing visually impaired people to work in a dark dining restaurant not only slowly chips away at this daunting unemployment rate but also turns lived experience with disability into a sought-after attribute, which is refreshing in an industry that may struggle to accommodate workers with disabilities (per National Restaurant Association). Dans le Noir's creative dining approach allows the establishment to be an accommodating space for visually impaired workers. With visually impaired staff as their guides through dark dining, Dans le Noir's sighted diners will understand that in the right environment, disability can be an employee's greatest asset.