A Google search for restaurants in New York designed for people with special needs came up with the usual tips about how to go out to eat “stress-free,” a few places that hire people with disabilities, and places that welcome people with disabilities. But I couldn’t find any restaurants that specifically cater to people with developmental disabilities, meaning make a pointed effort to be inclusive.

Note: Chuck E. Cheese has a Sensory Sensitive Sundays program, but it doesn’t seem as if any of the restaurants in the state north of New York City participate. (See the directory here.) You might also want to check out Autism Eats, which I found online. It holds dinner parties in private rooms of restaurants or function facilities for those with sensory sensitivity.

(If you know of any in New York, please contact me here and let me know!)

So, while it’s geographically far away, I was excited to see this article in the excellent Canadian blog Bloom about a Korean fried chicken restaurant in Toronto, Sarang Kitchen. It not only employs neurodiverse staff who are on the spectrum or have learning disabilities but is designed to be sensory-friendly. For example, “customers who feel anxious in the main restaurant can go sit on a bean bag chair with a weighted blanket in a separate sensory room.”

Read all about it on the Bloom blog, and learn about the family behind the inclusive restaurant.