Service with a silent smile

"We must be patient and give them time. I think they can improve at their jobs. This is not only my belief, but also the philosophy that supports the continued progress of the restaurant," Li says.

The chain began in Shenyang, Liaoning province, about four years ago when the group's founder, Wang Chuang, first envisioned a space where hearing-impaired people could thrive.

Upon hearing about it, Li knew that providing jobs to people with special needs, who were able to make a living for themselves, was exactly what he wanted to do.

To publicize the restaurant, Li opened an account on short-video platform Douyin to document daily operations, which gained 484,000 followers and about 1.7 million likes. According to Wang, his chain has hired more than 200 people with hearing impairments over the past four years.

Stepping into the limelight hasn't only increased the number of clients, but also the comments about whether Wang and Li are doing a good thing or simply taking advantage of the hearing-impaired.

Wang remembers two female diners asking him why he hired waiters who couldn't provide quality service. He was offended, but had to smile and apologize to them.

This is not an uncommon situation. Li remembers an incident when a customer wanted cilantro and, unaware that the staff were hearing impaired, asked a nearby server where he could get some.

When the waiter didn't respond, the customer got angry over his "poor" attitude and complained to Li. He calmed the customer and patiently explained the situation until he understood.

Li feels that the hearing-impaired staff sometimes view the restaurant as home, rather than just a workplace. For example, Deng once noticed that a customer had left a large amount of wasted food on the table and approached them and urged them to finish the food through gestures. Upon seeing this, Li quickly explained the situation to the customer, avoiding potential conflict.

Deng has reason to cherish his job, and not just because it gives him confidence and respect. His last job was at an electronics factory where people were unfriendly and made fun of him.