#GoodNews: This Mumbai Cafe is Run Entirely by the Specially-Abled

The employees at Cafe Arpan not only prepare and serve, but also deliver food.

(Photo: ANI)

Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui

A newly-opened cafe in Mumbai’s Juhu is run entirely by specially-abled staffers.

Cafe Arpan, owned by Yash Charitable Trust, aims to help specially-abled people in the city by providing employment to them. Wide varieties of delicacies are prepared by these staffers.

In 2014, we started the Yash Charitable Trust, an NGO with a mission and vision to help people with developmental disorders through jobs and services. They help with preparation, delivery, shopping and other things. We change our methods of teaching them work based on their needs.

Sushama Nagarkar Trustee, Yash Charitable Trust

Apart from cooking, the staffers also deliver food. The owner of the cafe is planning to expand the chain over the next few years, and even take it overseas.

Customers of the cafe also laud the initiative.

I have raised a special kid myself. He is now a chef in a star hotel. I know very well what these children are capable of. They have inert skills of catering and hospitality. It is a very good initiative by Arpan Cafe. The kids here are very good at their job.

Aishwarya Baride, Customer