'Happy' cafes

The Food Chain

• Episode: 'Happy' cafes
• Website: The Food Chain
• Feed URL: https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p028z2z0.rss
• Duration: 00:26:29
• Published: 2024-07-11 01:00

Of the tens of millions of people around the world with autism or down syndrome, only a tiny fraction is in paid employment.

But cooking, making drinks and waiting tables is work where people with learning disabilities can shine.

John Laurenson takes us to a Café Joyeux (Happy Café) in Paris, one of a fast-growing chain of cafe-restaurants where most of the staff have autism or down syndrome and where the croque monsieur comes with a smile.

We also hear from a cafe in Mumbai launched by the mother whose daughter has autism and, in Turkey, the KFCs with a difference.

Find out how café work can transform the lives of employees and owners.

Presenter/Producer: John Laurenson

(Image: Louis, Laura, Anne-France and Arnaud. Credit: BBC)