Jeanne Libert
Tina Lescop
Grenoble IAE
Beatrice LE MOING
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The first striking innovation of "Dans le noir ?" is that their restaurant shares delicious meals with customers that are cooked with ingredients from their organic farm. These meals are in fact a unique human and sensory experience, as everything takes place completely in the dark. "Dans le Noir ?" are very attentive to their social and environmental responsibility. They mainly employ people with disabilities whose talents are essential to the success of the business.
The innovation restaurant "Dans le noir ?" has three unique innovative features :
Firstly, "It is a very amazing sensory experience for customers. Customers don't know what they are eating and it turns out that they lose their senses without their eyes, they confuse tuna with veal, or even red wine with white wine" [1], says Mr. De Broglie. It's a tool for personally questioning the perception of taste, smell, touch, and temperature. It allows us to reactivate our other senses, we realize that without certain senses we are lost. This experience also allows us to realize that we consume more with our eyes than with our taste.
The second characteristic comes from the fact that the tables are not separated. In the restaurant, there are large tables where the customers are seated with their relatives, and also with other people that they did not know beforehand. This makes it possible to build a relationship with the other customers, "It's really easier to engage in a conversation, without judgment, there are no more social barriers, for example, racists are no longer racists, they don't see differences anymore. So there's a real reassessment of our relationship with others" [2], says Mr. De Broglie.
Finally, the third characteristic concerns disability. In other words, it is the blind person who helps us in this special environment, who helps us to find our bearings. "It's a reversed empathy experience, it is the client who needs the other person, in such a simple act as eating" [3], adds Mr. De Broglie.
The interview was conducted in French. Here are the original quotes
[1] « Il s’agit une expérience sensorielle très étonnante pour les clients. Les clients ne savent pas ce qu’ils mangent et il s’avère qu’ils perdent leurs sens sans leurs yeux, ils confondent du thon et du veau, ou même le vin rouge et le blanc».
[2]« Il est réellement plus facile d’engager une conversation, sans jugement, il n’y a plus de barrières sociales, par exemple, les racistes ne le sont plus, ils ne voient plus les différences. Il y a donc une réelle réévaluation de notre relation aux autres ».
[3]« C’est une expérience d’empathie à l’envers, le client a besoin de l’autre, dans un acte aussi quotidien que manger».
The basic idea was to have people dine in absolute darkness, served by blind people. Mr. De Borglie tells us "This concept was already being used by associations, which occasionally held dinners in the dark to raise awareness of disability. [4] "Dans le noir ?" had the idea of industrializing this concept and turning it into a real business. The original idea was to employ half of the staff with severe disabilities, whether they were visually impaired or completely blind.
The aim was to show and prove that with 50% of staff with disabilities the company can be just as profitable and expand internationally.
Initially, the founder was on his own. Then he received some help from a blind politician, and from the "Paul Guinot association: "Le goût du noir" ". This association used to organize dinners in the dark to raise awareness about disability. In a way, it was an extension of their program. These people helped Mr. De Broglie a great deal and two facilitators from the "Le goût du noir" association project subsequently became his associates.
According to Mr. De Broglie, "Company managers often associate disability with 'underperformance'" [5]. "Dans le noir ? " wanted to show that they could showcase talents who are regularly discriminated against on the job market. "The advantage of working with people with disabilities is that they are highly motivated and the turnover rate is very low" [6], so this implies that there is no great need for staff training, as the majority of staff remain the same over the years.
The interview was run in French. Here are the original quotes
[4]« Mais ce concept était déjà exploité dans le milieu associatif qui réalisait de temps en temps des dîners dans le noir, pour sensibiliser les gens au handicap ».
[5]« Les responsables d'entreprises associent souvent le handicap à la « sous-performance ».
[6]« L’avantage de travailler avec des personnes en situation de handicap est qu’elles sont très motivées et le taux de turn-over est très faible »,
Firstly, "Dans le noir ?" has a concrete and direct impact on the local economy. Indeed, the company has chosen to invest in agroecology, they have an organic farm in Essonne. On this farm, "We produce 80% of the fruit and vegetables we use, we also recycle organic waste" [7]. It is therefore based on the principles of the circular economy. They are one of the first restaurants in Paris to produce their own organic products. More than 50 hectares of this farm are organically cultivated, inspired by permaculture, which ensures a decent and stable income for the farmers. An organic offer has therefore been developed thanks to this approach: TastyBio By "Dans le noir?"
Concerning the impact of their recruitment policy, in Paris, 50% of the employees are disabled, which means that they are 44% above the compulsory threshold. However, they do not receive any assistance. This is moreover Mr. Edouard De Broglie's favorite ploy as he is trying to convince the government to reward those who exceed the 10-15% quota of disabled people. For example, if a company of 5 people employs 1 disabled person, this would allow it to go directly to 20%. His aim is "to allow many SME bosses to think about this aspect" [8]. However, they don't want to live on aid, because in other countries there is no aid.
Concerning the media coverage, 1 week after the opening, they were broadcast on French television (on TF1 and France 2). They were also able to go to the Elysée Palace to promote their idea to French ministers. "This media coverage helps us to raise public awareness regarding the importance of including people with disabilities in the labour market".[9]
In terms of societal impact, "It's a popular restaurant, which means that everyone can come and eat, so much so that Tim Burton came to eat in Paris, and Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton came to eat in London". This experience allows them to eat anonymously. It is thanks to this concept that one can realize that everyone is interesting and it breaks down the preconceptions that you might have about your neighbours at a classic restaurant meal.
Original quotes
[7] «Nous produisons 80 % des fruits et légumes, nous recyclons également les déchets biologiques»
[8]“de permettre à beaucoup de patrons de PME de réfléchir à cet aspect”.
[9]“Cette médiatisation permet de sensibiliser le public à l’importance de l’inclusion des personnes handicapées sur le marché du travail”.
Note: this section does not take into account the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on dining.
Today "Dans le noir ?" employs more than 80 blind and visually impaired guides over 5 continents. In addition to these guides, 75 employees work for "Dans le noir ?" on a permanent basis (excluding partnerships and franchises). More than 150 occasional contributors also work in the various restaurants.
Sixteen years ago in Paris, they had a turnover of €1 million. In 2020, they have achieved a turnover of €7 million, in a dozen large cities (including London, Madrid, Saint Petersburg, Auckland, Melbourne, Bordeaux and Nantes, Strasbourg, and Cairo).
Concerning profits, "they amount to around €600,000 - €700,000, that's 10% profit".
"Dans le noir ? "didn't always shine. Indeed, they opened, a few years ago, a restaurant in Times Square, it wasn't profitable enough to survive so they closed it after two years. They had nevertheless made at that time: $1 million CDN. This turnover was considered too modest for the restaurant's survival, so it had to close.
Concerning their recruitment policy, "Dans le noir?" is open to all profiles, "Only the non-visually impaired people who have been hired as servers have lost their bearings in the dark. »[10] As a result, the restaurant employs mainly visually impaired people, but also hearing-impaired people for their concept of a silent bar, where customers order through sign language.
With respect to novelties, they have opened a spa and wellness area where 90% of the employees are blind, and where even the manager is blind, and a sensory space held by a visually impaired person. "Dans le noir?" also wants to develop a brand-new concept: a silent bar: "Dans le silence!" and finally an escape game "Dans le noir?" in Paris, which is presently a unique concept in the world.
As far as projects are concerned, they want to open a restaurant in Lisbon and Barcelona and they wish to develop an escape game in London and somewhere in Spain.
"Dans le noir?" also offers companies activities in total darkness, "to enable them to think in a different context from usual",[11] here are some examples:
- Brainstorming in the dark
- Team training seminars in the dark
Outside the business world, "Dans le Noir?" offers to organize more personal events. You can then choose to celebrate your birthday, or even a wedding proposal, in total darkness. "Dans le noir ?" also offers more public events such as concerts and other cultural events.
Original quotes
[10] « Seulement les voyants qui ont été embauchés pour servir ont perdu leurs repères dans le noir. »
[11]“afin de leur permettre de réfléchir dans un contexte différent que celui habituel”
As one can clearly understand after learning about the restaurant model, the company wants originality and differentiating criteria.
This is why the company is not only present in the catering sector.
Concerning the company's innovations in the environment, the company has chosen to invest in agroecology, they have an organic farm in Essonne. On this farm, they produce 80% of their fruit and vegetables, and also recycle organic waste. It, therefore, follows the principle of the circular economy. Mr De Broglie proudly told me "we are one of the first restaurants in Paris to make our own organic products".[12]
Mr. De Broglie has planned other great adventures in the world of innovation, but this remains confidential.
The ideal world according to Mr. De Broglie would be for companies to integrate the fact that "working with disabled employees is not synonymous with failure" [13], in fact, it is the opposite, and that it also opens doors for them in the world of work. According to him, companies with a rate of disabled employees of more than 6% should be rewarded, which would encourage them to recruit more people in difficulty, while those below the legal rate should be penalized.
Original quotes
[12] “nous sommes l’un des premiers restaurants de Paris à fabriquer nos propres produits biologiques”.
[13]“ de travailler avec des employés handicapés n’est pas synonyme d'échec""
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Edouard de Broglie, Founder of Dans le noir ?
The innovation, "Dans le Noir ?" offers its customers sensory experiences with a restaurant that exists fully in the dark. The restaurant offers team building, sensory spaces, and sensory workshops.