Jun 19, 2017

“The Restaurant of Order Mistakes” Hiring Waiters with Dementia

When most people go out for a meal, they want reliable service and to get exactly what they ordered off the menu. But at The Restaurant of Order Mistakes in Japan, you go in knowing that what you get might not be quite right. And the customers are perfectly fine with that.

So what makes this pop-up restaurant in Tokyo’s Toyosu district so unique? They’ve only  hired waiters with dementia – people who would normally have a difficult time getting a job.

The concept of the restaurant was to hire wait staff with dementia who may get your order wrong, in the hopes of creating more awareness for dementia.

waiters-dementia-restaurant-of-order-mistakes-tokyo-14

All customers are aware of this unfront going into the restaurant. And by knowing this, it changes the customers perception and understanding of a condition that affects more than 46 million people around the world.

The pop-up restaurant was located inside Maggie’s Tokyo, the Japanese version of the UK’s Maggie’s Centers, which are support centers for cancer patients and their families.

Eating there requires some patience and understanding, but at the heart of the experience, customers could see that people with dementia can still be functioning members of society.

waiters-dementia-restaurant-of-order-mistakes-tokyo-13

One food blogger visited the restaurant and said she had a great time. Mizuho Kudo said that when she went, she had originally ordered a hamburger – but ended up being served gyoza dumplings instead.

She didn’t mind though. ‘I’m fine dumplings came and had a good laugh,’ she tweeted. And the dumplings turned out to be delicious nonetheless. Kudo said the real treat of the experience was that the waiters were full of smiles and seemed to be having a great time.

It was on a trial period from 2nd the 4th June, with the name of the restaurant is a clever take on the book The Restaurant of Many Orders.

Now that the trial period is over, there are plans for another pop-up restaurant to be launched in September to commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day, which is 21st September.

waiters-dementia-restaurant-of-order-mistakes-tokyo-9

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Brilliant innovation brimming with great humanity! Just love the concept.
    I deliberately planned to end my Nursing career working at an Aged Care Facility.
    Just loved all the lovely Residents.
    Just the highlight of my 76 years of nursing career. May there be more of such ingenious care plans for our Older members all over the world.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

80-Year-Old Man With Dementia Plays ‘The Last Post’ From His Driveway

Australians and New Zealanders may be rivals in a sporting sense, but there is no denying the mutual respect and admiration shared between the two neighbours from across the ditch. The bond between the two countries was forged on the battlefields of Gallipoli, and once a year both countries come together to honour all of... Read More

New drink derived from coconut shown to reverse memory loss

  A new drink can reverse mild memory loss and possibly ward off Alzheimer’s Disease, and is to be released onto the market within weeks. A researcher who has for years been looking into the benefits of ketones as a source of energy for the brain has developed a ketone drink that can significantly improve... Read More

How To Reduce Agitation In Dementia That Has Nothing To Do With Medication

“Namaste” is a traditional greeting in the Hindu culture, and is more commonly heard in the West when practicing Yoga. But “Namaste Care”, however, is a program developed to help improve the quality of life of people with dementia. Namaste Care was developed in 2003 by Joyce Simard to especially help people with advanced dementia... Read More
Advertisement