CHAGEE Singapore officially launched its signing store at the National University of Singapore (NUS) today (June 19).
Located at NUS Yusof Ishak House, the store is fully operated by 14 deaf and hard-of-hearing baristas through a partnership with SG Enable and the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf).
This is CHAGEE’s first signing concept in Southeast Asia, following the opening of three similar stores in Mainland China.
Vulcan Post received an exclusive invite to witness the official opening of the store, here’s what you need to know before visiting.
The smallest details make a difference
Upon stepping in, the 135-square-metre tea bar is designed and operates differently to cater to its employees. Touted as a “silent bar,” the store’s walls are lined with corkwood as it’s known for its sound-absorbing qualities.
“For those who are hard of hearing, sometimes a little bit of noise also disturbs them a little bit, and we want to make sure that we create an environment where our deaf baristas feel like they are much more comfortable,” explained Johnathan Ng, APAC Director for Government and Public Affairs at CHAGEE.
To prevent any miscommunication and enhance the efficiency of the store, it only accepts online orders. A writing board is also available at the pickup point for customers to write on in case they have any questions upon receiving their orders.
Johnathan also added that the employees rely on visual cues to communicate effectively with one another. A flip chart wall is also one of the shop’s key accents, where it introduces basic sign language to help customers engage with the deaf baristas.
Championing inclusivity
Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, attended the opening as one of the guest-of-honours and delivered a speech on the importance of inclusivity in Singapore.
He started by saying that the city-state has come a long way in fulfilling its agenda for greater inclusion since the introduction of the Enabling Master Plan (EMP) in 2007, which will evolve into its fourth iteration: EMP 2030.
The initiative covers two key areas: living options and inclusive employment for persons with disabilities and special needs, and aims to go beyond earning paychecks.
What CHAGEE and [its] partners are doing today at this NUS store is significant in the sense that it behooves Singapore society to think about disability and not just focus on the disability of an individual, but to focus on the strengths that each of these individuals, bring with them to the workplace, to the community, to everyone else’s lives.
Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Social and Family Development
Speaking to the media, Lawrence Wen, the General Manager of CHAGEE Singapore, shared that the brand decided to open its first Southeast Asian Signing store at NUS, as it is a high-traffic area yet “less rowdy” compared to its other outlets in shopping malls.
The brand first introduced the outlet through a soft launch three months prior, and according to Lawrence, the response has been “very good” and resonated well with the NUS student population.
He added that all baristas in the store have experience working in “very high-volume, high-demand environments” at its other outlets, creating an easier transition for them.
“We believe our partners are no different to normal, and in that sense, we have confidence to place them in a high-form area. We believe that they can handle the volume as well,” he added.
Lawrence also pointed out that championing inclusivity brings benefits from a financial perspective, and he expressed interest in creating more physical store concepts that spotlight other disabilities.
For us, we want to do a lot more. Deafness is one of the sectors of disability, but there are many different parts of it as well. I would say this [outlet] is an easier conversion for us because we already have a concept in China, but it doesn’t mean that we cannot do something beyond this as well, so we want to [explore]. Singapore being a very important market for us, it will be a testing ground in order to test these new concepts.
From a business sense and also a societal point of view, it works, and we’ve proven that.
Lawrence Wen, General Manager of CHAGEE Singapore
- Learn more about CHAGEE Singapore here.
- Read more stories we have covered on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post