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  • PETER MANSBRIDGE: A unique dining experience has just reached Canada. You can find it at a restaurant

  • in downtown Toronto.

  • It's different because the menu not only caters to the taste buds. It also speaks

  • a language of food

  • you won't hear anywhere else. Ioanna Roumeliotis explains.

  • IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: The menus are ready. The sliders

  • ready to grill. The staff dressed and ready to go. Opening night of

  • a brand new restaurant in town where the goal of the evening is to have your

  • order fall on deaf ears.

  • Yep. You heard that right.

  • ANJAN MANIKUMAR: This is Canada's first restaurant staffed with deaf waiters and waitresses.

  • IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS (OFF CAMERA): But in terms of an idea... ANJAN MANIKUMAR: An idea?

  • This was the first one of its kind.

  • IOANNA ROUMELIIOTIS: Aptly named "Signs," this is a place where you have to follow the signs customers are

  • the signs. Customers are asked to order food and drink using American Sign Language

  • there are icons next to every menu item and a cheat sheet to help.

  • LIS PIMENTEL, CUSTOMER: "Oh yeah. Red something. And then beet.

  • And then...yeah watermelon. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS (OFF CAMERA): And what does that mean?

  • PIMENTEL: Red beet watermelon salad.

  • CUSTOMER: I think I'm going to have the duck. CUSTOMER (OFF CAMERA): Sign it! CUSTOMER: It's like this. And like this.

  • IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: Anjan Manikumar wanted to deliver a whole new dining experience

  • and

  • give deaf people a chance to shine ANJAN MANIKUMAR: Providing them an opportunity here I

  • think it's

  • is something that they deserve and they're very talented, every one of them,

  • every one of my staff

  • I'm very happy to say they are extremely talented. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: More than 200 deaf people

  • applied to work here.

  • Most of the 50 or so who made the cut have no restaurant experience

  • but a passion to learn. RACHEL SHEMUEL, MANAGER: It's given the deaf community an opportunity to work in a

  • workforce that they wouldn't otherwise be able to work in and

  • it's opening up a whole new

  • workforce for the deaf community. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: This is Mehdi Safavi's

  • first full-time job. An interpreter helped us ask him how that feels.

  • MEHDI SAFAVI: It's a wonderful. I'm so excited to be here. It's a deaf environment

  • where hearing people can come in and experience

  • our world and our culture so it's really amazing...

  • really amazing. And it's a challenge for me. But a great challenge.

  • IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: It's brand new but already there's a buzz and reservations are

  • pouring in. IOANNA ROUMELIOTIS: Your biggest problem right now is that you might have too much business?

  • ANJAN MANIKUMAR: I might. I might have too much business.

  • IOANNA ROUMELOTIS: And all through an entirely different word-of-mouth.

  • Ioanna Roumeliotis, CBC News, Toronto.

PETER MANSBRIDGE: A unique dining experience has just reached Canada. You can find it at a restaurant

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