Starbucks Opens First U.S. 'Signing Store'

Starbucks opening its first U.S. 'Signing Store' catering to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing customers in Washington DC.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Fox News' Lauren Blanchard on Starbucks unveiled on Tuesday its first United States-based store designed specifically for Deaf and Hard of Hearing customers near Gallaudet University in the D.C.

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Located in Washington, D.C., the “signing store” employs about 20 to 25 people - all of whom know American Sign Language. And to allow for easier hand movements and better communication, it features lower tables and counters, brighter lights and no background music.

“We’ll teach them some signs, ‘Here’s my name, what’s your name, pointing to the apron,’ Starbucks store manager Matthew Gilsbach said on Tuesday. “It’s a nice way to make that customer’s experience legendary, and that connection happen.”

The store also offers a picture menu so customers can point to which items they’d like to order, and an iPad so they can write down what they want.

Starbucks collaborated with Gallaudet University, the only one in the world that caters to the Deaf and partial-hearing community to create the store.

In 2016, the Seattle-based coffee giant first opened a “Signing Store” in Malaysia.

“This is a historic moment in Starbucks’ ongoing journey to connect with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, hire and engage Deaf and Hard of Hearing partners, and continue to find ways to be more inclusive, accessible and welcoming to all,” Rossann Williams, the executive vice president of U.S. retail for Starbucks, said in a news release.

SOURCE FOX Business

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A Starbucks store in Malaysia has become the first in the world coffee chain to focus on providing employment opportunities for Deaf and Hard of Hearing customers.

KUALA LUMPUR -- Seattle Times: A Starbucks store in Malaysia has become the first in the global coffee chain to focus on providing employment opportunities for those who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing customers.

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The store in Kuala Lumpur, which opened Wednesday, results from a partnership between Starbucks Malaysia and The Society of Interpreters for the Deaf, the company said.

The society provided Starbucks with two sign-language interpreters during hiring, training and coaching for Deaf employees, and to teach sign language to hearing employees, according to a Starbucks news release.

The store employs 10 Deaf employees and three hearing ones, including the store manager.

“This is an underrepresented community in Malaysia,” a Starbucks spokeswoman said. “Over the years, the team has worked with local organizations to hire Deaf partners [employees] and we wanted to celebrate and recognize the contributions of Deaf workers and people of all disabilities.”

Customers place their orders by filling out a menu ticket that they hand to the baristas. The baristas then key in the orders on a dual-screen system where customers can see if their order is correct. The order number is displayed on a large screen above the pickup counter when it’s ready.

The store also has a Starbucks Card kiosk where customers can check their card balances and reward-program points.

Starbucks currently has no plans to replicate this model beyond the Malaysia store, the spokeswoman said.

SOURCE - SeattleTimes

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The Korean Starbucks Barista, It’s all in the Signs.

SEOUL, South Korea -- Deaf Korean Starbucks barista, it’s all in the signs. Although a Starbucks branch in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, was bustling with coffee lovers at around noon on Monday, employees worked in silence.

Most baristas at Starbucks franchises receive orders from the cashiers verbally, with shouts of machiatto, mochachino and latte echoing throughout the store.

But Hwang Jin, a 33-year-old Deaf barista, receives her orders via hand gestures. Employees give a thumbs-up to signal an Americano and make a “G” sign to confirm it’s a grande.

“When making foam with milk, those who are hearing-impaired rely on the sensation in their hand when frothing the milk instead of the sound,” barista instructor Sung Jeong-min said. “They are more sensitive to the vibrations of the milk steamer and produce a smoother taste in the coffee.”

Hwang, who lost her hearing after health complications as a 4-year-old, has worked at the Seoul National University of Education Starbucks branch since November 2011... Read More Here.

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