Shanghai cafe to increase employment of people with disabilities

The popular Shanghai cafe Hinichijou, which provides employment for people with disabilities, is expected to open up to 100 stores across the nation, according to the cafe's co-founder, Wang Haiqing.

Also known as the Bear Paw Café, the cafe has gone viral among netizens after the first store was launched on Yongkang Road on Dec 3, which marked the International Day of People with Disabilities.

"We expect disabled staff to make up more than half of our employees. This is our way of helping more people with disabilities their dreams," said Wang.

To date, Hinichijou has three stores in Shanghai that hire a total of 17 employees.

Among them, 11 employees are disabled individuals who have won coffee brewing competitions. The rest are able-bodied employees who wear bear claw gloves to interact with customers and take orders.

To provide services to a wider audience, Hinichijou recently listed itself on food delivery platform Meituan.