The Sunday afternoon program offers a welcoming space geared to the needs of autistic individuals and their families who might otherwise find a restaurant visit overwhelming.
The lights are dim, the music soft and, if you need it, the chicken comes with a side of fidget toys and ear protection.
I’m here in Orléans with my daughter Liz at the Ottawa launch of “inclusive dining” at St-Hubert Rotisserie. The Sunday afternoon program offers a welcoming space geared to the needs of autistic individuals and their families who might otherwise find a restaurant visit overwhelming.
That’s not Liz. At 25, she knows her way around a chicken restaurant, especially one with french fries. But it has not always been so. I remember the years when a family outing felt like a bomb disposal mission, often ending with a half-eaten meal and a hasty exit with a screaming and thrashing child in my arms.
St-Hubert worked with the Quebec foundations Autiste & Majeure and Giant Steps to develop the inclusive dining program, a natural extension of its existing work employing autistic staff.
“St-Hubert Foundation existed for 12 years and we were donating money to all sorts of causes, but at one point we thought, ‘What could be our cause?’” said Josée Vaillancourt, director of communications for the St-Hubert Foundation. “We joined with Giant Steps. They’re the experts and we were discussing with them and said, ‘Maybe we could hire autistic people.’ They said, ‘OK. That’s a really good idea, but maybe you could arrange your restaurants to make sure you welcome autistic people as customers.’”
The company launched a pilot project at a handful of Montreal locations two years ago and it has now expanded to about 80 St-Hubert restaurants, including its Gatineau ones last fall. Inclusive dining launched in Ottawa on Jan. 26 at St-Hubert’s St. Laurent and St. Joseph Boulevard restaurants.
Evening Update
Giant Steps assists by providing staff a basic training in the world of autism, helps identify preferred seating areas and developed a “sensory bag” for customers’ use. It includes ear protectors for individuals who might be sensitive to noise, fidget toys and stress balls to help relieve anxiety, a sheet of visual cues that can help an autistic person express their emotions, and a timer — an essential tool for many autism families that helps manage the waiting for food to come to the table.
While Liz colours and peruses the menu, I’m irresistibly drawn drawn to the multi-coloured silicone “push pop,” a satisfying substitute for popping bubble wrap.
“It’s simple because it’s making sure that the staff is well trained in the reality that autistic individuals experience every day,” said Alain Bessette, Giant Steps’ project manager for inclusive employment initiatives.
“The goal is cohabitation. We’re not looking to stick families off in a corner somewhere, but at the same time we don’t want to seat them near the door where there’s a lot of traffic or near the kitchen where there’s a lot of smells.”
Similarly, the soft music and dim lighting during the inclusive dining periods from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays help soothe the nerves of autistic individuals who are sensitive to loud noise and bright lights.
Additional tools are available on the St-Hubert website. It lists all the ingredients of each menu item, since some people may have food sensitivities, and there is an interactive story that explains in advance each step of the outing, from being greeted at the door to paying the bill and leaving the restaurant.
Bessette hopes that more restaurants will follow St-Hubert’s lead and begin offering inclusive dining.
“It doesn’t really cost anything and I find it makes for better employees,” Bessette said. “And it brings in a whole group of customers that never had access before.
“It’s sad, but when we launched the project we had several families say, ‘It’s the first time we’ve ever come to a restaurant. We’re comfortable coming to a restaurant now.’ The staff is trained so that, should an autistic individual become upset or have a meltdown, they’ll understand what’s happening.
“But I’ve never heard of an autistic individual having a meltdown in a St-Hubert,” he continued. “In my opinion, the chances of that happening are the same as with any other child. Maybe it’s even better. I know some autistic individuals who are a server’s dream. They’re respectful. They’re enthusiastic. They enjoy the food. They’re patient. They’re a dream.”
That’s certainly the case for Liz, who opts for her favourite: a chicken caesar salad with fries and a ginger ale. She laughs as she blowguns her paper straw covering across the table (I may have taught her that). She offers to share her fries with me, Bessette and photographer Ashley Fraser, helps box up her leftovers and patiently waits for the chocolate brownie she’s chosen for dessert.
On Day 1, Liz and I are the only family here at the Orléans location. Another family that had reserved a table had to cancel. Bessette gets a text saying one family has come for inclusive dining at the St. Laurent location.
Vaillancourt from the St-Hubert Foundation says the program seems popular, but the company doesn’t keep track of the numbers.
“It’s hard to know how many people have been. We don’t ask,” she said. “There may be people going who we don’t know about. But frankly, we do it because it’s a good gesture. We do it for a good reason. We know that not everyone is going to want to come, but if they do, we’re there for them.”
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