02 June 2018

blindekuh


blindekuh restaurants in Basel and Zürich serve patrons in the dark.
blindekuh is one of the largest private-sector employers for people with impaired vision. In our restaurants and through our cultural activities, we create valuable jobs, foster dialogue between sighted people and those with visual impairments, and open up new perspectives for young and old alike.
blindekuh – the name means "Blind Man's Buff" in German – was founded in 1999 and was the first establishment of its kind in the world...

The blindekuh concept has been copied successfully several times. blindekuh Zurich, the world's first restaurant in the dark, opened its doors in September 1999. It was followed in April 2001 by the "Unsicht-Bar" in Cologne and in June 2002 by "Nocti Vagus" in Berlin. Another "Unsicht-Bar" opened in Berlin in September 2002, then came "Dans le Noir" in Paris in September 2004, "Taste of Darkness" in the Dialogue Museum in Frankfurt, and a further "Dans le Noir" in London. blindekuh Basel opened in February 2005. The "Unsicht-Bar" in Hamburg followed in September 2006, then "Dans le Noir" in Moscow just two months later. The concept has since spread outside Europe, and blindekuh is constantly receiving requests from around the world for support with launching similar projects...

The blindekuh enterprises are self-supporting, so they receive no state subsidies. The concept is labour-intensive, partly because operating in the dark makes certain processes more difficult and also because guests need more information and a higher level of service than in a conventional catering outlet. Employees benefit from good working conditions and wages above the market average. Our cultural events in the dark and our staff's high availability for the media, schools and other interested parties add to the concept's costs. For these reasons, blindekuh relies on donations.

9 comments:

  1. Blind man's buff ???
    The work in the dark AND THEY ARE NAKED ???
    I always thought the saying was blind man's bluff.

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    1. Yeah, it really is "blind man's buff." I was floored the first time I looked it up, too. "Bluff" by now has probably become an acceptable substitute.

      Lurker111

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  2. Lucy

    Blindekuh in german is what people use when you walk into something or knock something over. It's a direct translation for Blind Cow. Maybe the Swiss have a different translation, but the Germans use it when you're not watching around.

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    1. While it does literally translate to "blind cow", fact is that it's the name of the child's game first. What you describe may be a jocular derivation from it, although I've *very rarely* if ever heard it used in that way. (Source: I'm German, living in Germany)

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    2. Lucy

      Maybe it's a Spessart thing :-)

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    3. Possibly! :)

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  3. For a really sensory treat, they should hold their noses while eating. Not only will they not see their food, they won't taste it.

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  4. EPCOT has done this a couple of times with their Dine In The Dark events. It's nice to see that this is a more widespread thing!

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  5. I visited in 2012. It is quite an experience. You underestimate how your sight biases and colors your perception of food until you have a meal in total darkness. I recommend it.

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