The waiter turns to the father to take the order: the card placed against the glass teaches him to look at Yanis, and to wait while he chooses
A card placed against the glass before the menu is even opened, read by the waiter while he brings the water, and the order is taken facing Yanis instead of over his shoulder.
This case is about a 22-year-old young adult with Down syndrome who goes out to restaurants with family or friends. The profile is prepared by a parent. It is aimed at the waiter or waitress taking the order, often in three seconds and while looking at the person who pays.
The order, the table, the silence
Saturday, 12:40, a busy brasserie near the station. Yanis spotted the croque-madame on the chalkboard from the pavement. The waitress arrives, notepad in hand, and asks his father: and for the young man? Yanis has his sentence ready. He says it slowly, with his own way of pronouncing syllables. His father answers for him, out of habit, to go faster.
This time, the card has been resting against the glass since they arrived. The waitress scanned it while bringing the menus, between two tables. She read three things: Yanis understands everything, he speaks slowly, he wants to order for himself. She comes back and stands in front of him. She waits. Four seconds of silence, not one more, and she lets them last.
Yanis orders the croque-madame and a grenadine, twice, because the first word was not clear. She repeats the order while looking at him, not at anyone else. At dessert, he is the one who raises his hand. Nobody had to explain anything, and his father just drank his coffee.
- You write it
- The QR is in place
- The reader scans
- Understood, without explaining again
Where to place the QR for this case
The waiter has a few seconds per table and knows nothing about the people he serves. The QR must therefore be readable before the order is taken, without asking him to step out of his service rhythm.
- Card, rigid, placed against the base of the glass or slipped under the menu on arrival: this is what the waiter sees when putting down the menu.
- Link added to the booking message or in the "remarks" box of the booking platform, for tables reserved in advance.
- Sticker on the bank card holder that Yanis takes out himself when paying, useful for the waiter on the next visit.
To avoid: the back of the phone, which the waiter will not pick up in the middle of the rush, and the collar of a garment, too far from the eyes of the person taking the order. The card stays with Yanis, who puts it away when leaving.
Ready-made text templates
The templates below help fill in the three sections of the profile. They are meant to be rewritten in your own words: the way Yanis likes to be addressed, what he always orders, his way of saying he has finished are his own. These are the details a waiter remembers.
For the "About me" section
"My name is Yanis, I am 22, I have Down syndrome. I understand everything you say to me. I speak slowly and some words are hard to catch the first time. I like to choose my dish myself and say my order out loud. Please look at me when you talk to me."
For the "How to help" section
"Ask me the question directly, to me. Give me time to answer, even if the silence lasts a little. If you do not understand a word, ask me again, I will say it another way. Suggest two or three dishes if the menu is long. Repeat the order at the end so I can check it."
For the "What to avoid" section
"Please do not speak to my parents about my order. Do not finish my sentences for me. Do not talk to me like a child or raise your voice. Do not rush me when other tables are waiting. Do not decide that this dish will be too complicated for me."
Conditions covered by this case
Down syndrome is at the heart of this case. The same actions help people with aphasia or DLD, and everyone who takes more time to answer orally: look at the person, wait, repeat the order.
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