Kathmandu restaurant hiring policy offers a unique eating experience

A combination of gestures and hand movements is usually all that's needed to get the message accross

July 7, 2000
Web posted at: 10:50 a.m. HKT (0250 GMT)

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Visitors to the Bakery cafes in Kathmandu, Nepal, not only get their taste buds working, they also put their communication skills to the test.

Food orders are placed using sign language because the restaurant's waiters can neither hear nor speak.

With more than 30 physically impaired waiters serving in five branches across town, the cafe offers a unique and challenging dining experience.

For those making their first visit to the restaurants, things can be a little difficult, but good intentions on both sides go a long way towards resolving sign language hiccups.

"Initially when people had started coming here they didn't know waiters out here were deaf and dumb," said Prem Kinari, the restaurant's customer relations officer.

"Now most people know it. When the customer comes, the waiter goes and asks about their order with his sign language. They take it down with a notebook and give it to the kitchen," Kinari said.

Sometimes, he said, intervention was needed on his part to clear up misunderstandings between the customer and waiter, but for the most part, the venture was a success.

Kinari admits that the restaurant managers were initially skeptical about how the public would respond to the waiters. However it seems they need not have worried -- just ask one of the regular diners.

"I find them very nice," said Karan Swaroop. "It's a very nice thing. They work very well, okay. And they are very efficient. I think this is very good for society."

All the waiters get free training from the region's deaf and dumb association.

The association is trying to encourage other restaurants to follow the example and employ more of its students.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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