Blind Serving The Blind At Dans Le Noir?

The concept of "Dark Dining," a meal in which the customer is blindfolded, is not very new. But Community Board 3 just gave the green light for a liquor license to "blind dining" franchise Dans Le Noir?, who will be adding an extra twist to their New York establishment: blind waiters. They say the service will create an "interesting sensory experience," and Lighthouse International, a nonprofit whose services include finding jobs for blind people, say they have plenty of people who would love the employment opportunity. Sounds great, but this sounds a little too much like we're going to wind up eating blue steak for us to get completely on board.

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By Jaya Saxena in Food on August 18, 2010 5:40 PM

Comments [rss]

rustydotcom

this is definitely not new - and not new to Dans le Noir. I was there in Paris last year and our waiter (and about half of the staff there) was blind.

NewHCE

dumbest...idea...ever.

Brooklyn Book Worm

This is not a new idea. A few years ago, there was a similar restaurant in (I believe) Berlin. Except, of course, that there were no lights at all and the entire staff -- dining room and kitchen -- was blind. The (sighted) patrons found themselves in the unusual position of needing the assistance of the blind to find, say, the ladies' room, as well as for instruction on eating their food. An instructive experience indeed! Blindfolds, alas, inviting cheating, though I'm sure they make the FDNY and its sexy pecs much happier.