Waiting Tables Blind: “When the Fear Is Gone, the Fun Can Begin”

See nothing. Only taste, smell, feel, hear. That’s all that matters in a dark restaurant. Serving food here seems impossible − for the sighted. Blind and visually impaired wait staff move among the tables and chairs with confidence, skillfully serving the meals while reassuring unsettled guests.

01/02/2010

Cevahir Männel © Foto Peiffer

Cevahir Männel has been severely vision impaired since birth and works as a waitress at the “unsicht-bar” (unsichtbar = German for invisible), a “dark” restaurant in Cologne, Germany. REHACARE.de spoke with her about real “blind dates”, frightening darkness, and sensory-enhanced guest contact.

REHACARE.de: Mrs. Männel, you work as a waitress in a dark restaurant. Your guests willingly surrender their sense of orientation, are completely dependent on your help, and even pay you for it. Why are dark restaurants so popular?

Cevahir Männel: Here you can experience a “blind date”, literally. Couples who meet on the Internet spend their first date in darkness, so they can get to know one another even better. But not everyone is doing it for the fun of it.

REHACARE.de: What do you mean by that?

Männel: Ophthalmologists or family members of the blind also come here to find out what it’s like to be sightless. And people with phobias come here with their therapists, to work on overcoming their fears. There are really a lot of different reasons.

REHACARE.de: How do guests react, when they suddenly can’t see their hand in front of their face?

Männel: When we first enter the dark dining room, it is always a bit of a shock. Either it is deathly quiet, or the guests say things like “Help, it’s so dark”. I notice that the first few minutes are especially unpleasant for the guests. I talk to them and answer their questions. When someone feels uncomfortable, it often helps if I simply sit at their table with them for a few minutes and hold their hand – that’s calming. I am also always within earshot. If someone needs me, I am right there. Then, when the fear is gone, the fun can begin.

REHACARE.de: Don’t you sometimes have to stifle your laughter, when you hear your guests trying to eat their spaghetti in the dark?

Männel: When the guests themselves are laughing, I laugh along with them. Many call for help when they make a mess. But we don’t serve our guests dishes like spaghetti. There are foods that can be eaten with the fingers, if necessary.

REHACARE.de: It is extraordinarily difficult for your guests to find their bearings in the dark. You move about so easily, guiding your guests through the room with confidence. How do you know where each table is?

Männel: By now, I know the room by heart, like the back of my hand. (laughs) In my head I have something like a mental map of the room. Therefore, I know exactly where each table is. I also work primarily with my ears and my sense of touch. The sense of touch is especially important when interacting with the guests. That is how I show them where they should sit, or I put the glass in their hand. But my hearing is most important of all. With it, I can orient myself at greater distances.

Eating by numbers: For a better orientation in the dark the dishes and the cutlery are arranged according to the times. For example: The fork coresponds to 9 o'clock; © Unsicht-Bar GmbH, Cologne

REHACARE.de: Did it take you long to find your way around the restaurant with such ease?

Männel: (laughs) I was pretty hopeless at first. It took me one or two weeks to become comfortable enough so that serving food was second nature, and I could concentrate on the guests.

REHACARE.de: Two weeks? That does not sound like a particularly long time.

Männel: There are waiters who find their way around after just a couple of days or even hours. By comparison, it took me quite a bit longer. But I wanted to become really sure of myself; after all, I am doing three things at once: serving, leading the guests and answering their questions.

REHACARE.de: What led you to choose this particular job?

Männel: Actually, I was trained as an office clerk. But I really only did that because I was always told I needed to learn a proper career. One of my current colleagues told me about the dark restaurant and I was immediately enthusiastic.

REHACARE.de: Do you feel more comfortable here, because your handicap isn’t one at all anymore?

Männel: For me, working in the dark is much more relaxing, because I only rely on my other senses. Sight is useless for me. I get along fine in the dark. In the light there is too much stimulation, more obstacles.

REHACARE.de: So, you’ve found your dream job?

Männel: Absolutely. Even as a teenager I found waitressing very interesting. I like working with people. They make my work ever-changing and very interesting. But it was clear to me that I could never do that because of my handicap – until the dark restaurant opened.

This interview was conducted by Nadine Lormis and translated by Joyce Han-Voth.

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