Dining In The Dark

Diners venture into Dans Le Noir?, one of the hottest restaurants in London  (Photo: DLN/PR)

Try to imagine marking a birthday or anniversary at a restaurant where the dining area is in total darkness and your meal is served by a waiter who is blind. If this seems improbable, you'll be surprised to hear that thousands of diners have already had the experience and greatly enjoyed it.

In February, 2005, Dans le Noir? (In the Dark?) opened its doors in the fashionable Clerkenwell area of London. It aims not only to raise awareness about vision disabilities, but also to change the way people experience eating.

Upon arrival, diners are taken to the lounge by front-of-house staff, who, along with the chef and his three assistants, are sighted. The lounge is a lit area, and it's where staff provide menus and take orders. Customers enjoy a drink in the darkened bar or go to their table in the dining room, which seats 60 (and 26 upstairs). They are also introduced to their waiters. There are eight such "guides," all of whom are blind and have completed a rigorous training routine.

There are certain house rules, which are outlined to diners when orders are taken. Cell phones must be stowed in a locker, and cameras and other devices that emit light are not allowed. Diners are not permitted to wander the dark areas, so a visit to the washroom requires calling the waiter. (Washrooms are illuminated.)

In the planning of this establishment, safety was of paramount concern. In an emergency, lights automatically come on. The dark areas are filmed by infrared cameras to ensure customer safety, and exits are carefully placed.

Nicholas Chartier, Dans le Noir?'s project manager, says that diners have nothing to fear from blind waiters carrying hot dishes. "It may appear to be a recipe for disaster, but our wait staff are highly skilled and convey what it is like to experience their world. Customers are dependent on their server and this creates a special relationship between them." The restaurant's website describes it as a "transfer of trust."

The concept is intriguing, but what is the food like? Dans le Noir? offers French cuisine fused with global influences. At £37 for a three-course meal, the prices are in line with other upscale French restaurants. Patrons seem to love it - business has been brisk, and Dans le Noir? is booked up one to two weeks in advance.

This is just what the proprietor expected, for it follows the pattern of its sister operation in Paris, started in 2004. It has welcomed over 100,000 guests, including the prime minister of France. So popular is the French venue that it's introduced other activities, such as school visits to educate children about blindness, wine tastings, famous writers reciting to an audience in the dark and, inevitable in the city of romance, blind dating clubs.

So, who started this unusual restaurant concept? Edouard de Broglie, a French entrepreneur and ethical management specialist, assisted by a marketing expert, Etienne Boisrond. Partial funding was provided by the Fredericks Foundation, an organization committed to breaking down workplace barriers faced by disadvantaged groups.

At the opening of Dans le Noir?, de Broglie said his interest was in the sensory, not the social, aspect of dining. "The preconception of what food tastes like because of how it looks is gone. All your other senses are abruptly awoken and you taste food like you have never tasted it before."

Top chefs in the United Kingdom expressed skepticism. Marco Pierre White, owner of six prestigious London restaurants, was scathing: "For me, the eyes must be used as well as the palate. It's all part of the show, and seeing top waiters in action is a key element of service. I think this is conceptual more than real, but I guess it saves some money on the hydro."

Such comments are unlikely to deter de Broglie. Both the Royal National Institute for the Blind and Action for Blind People applauded him for creating employment opportunities for people with vision disabilities, and he is recruiting more guides to join his crew. Perhaps a sign of things to come, dark dining establishments have also opened in Zurich and Berlin.

So, before your next trip to London, make a reservation at Dans le Noir? If you enjoy the food, feel free to lick your plate - no one will notice!

Harry W. Pope is a Canadian researcher and freelance writer who resides in Bowmanville, Ontario. For more information about Dans Le Noir?, visit www.danslenoir.com/london/.