Gastronomic fare in pitch darkness a sight to behold

Hope knocked at Sadiq’s doors a few weeks ago when an official from the National Association for the Blind-Karnataka told him about a restaurant where he could not only wait on people, but also use his blindness to the best advantage.

“He said it is a restaurant where guests would dine in the dark and require our help to reach their chairs and move around,” Sadiq said with a proud smile.

First of its kind in City

Called ‘Dark’, it will be the first restaurant of its kind in Bangalore where the blind will serve sighted guests in the dark and be their trusted guides until they leave the dark space into a lighted area.

“Felicia, who will be in charge of Food and Beverages, stumbled on the concept abroad and wanted to create this restaurant in the ‘dark’ concept,” said Ravindranath Tagore, a partner in Benaka Hospitality, which is opening Dark restaurant on Jeevan Bimanagar Main Road on December 9.

“That’s both commercially appealing and also beneficial to persons with vision challenge who have fewer opportunities to work and earn their livelihood,” said Srikarunya, Joint Secretary of NAB-Karnataka, which is providing the manpower for restaurant.

120-seater

The 120-seater restaurant currently has a 40-seater covered space for Dark, which will primarily provide Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai cuisines. Sadiq and three others are getting training on waiting tips, English communication and a few inputs about the food itself.

“We’re displaying plaques in the lighted area on how the guests can identify the food they eat in the darkness.

The technique is very similar to the way a blind person would identify the food on his plate – what’s in the 12 o’clock position, 3 o’clock position, 6 o’clock position, etc (on a round plate that resembles the dial of a clock),” Karunya added.

Depending on the response from the public, who the promoters believe can benefit from the green and healthy Vietnamese cuisine, the restaurant’s dark space will be further expanded.

More jobs

“We would like the restaurant to provide more jobs for the blind,” Tagore said. “We will create a conducive environment where the blind can use their seeming disadvantage to their advantage. Also, guests who come here will appreciate the challenges faced by the blind.”

Though ‘Dialogue In The Dark’ concept is popular in foreign countries and in cities like Hyderabad, promoters believe they can create a better dining ambience for guests using the expertise of NAB-Karnataka.