Café Canteen

Program Summary

Café Canteen is more than just a coffee shop! It is a six-week skills training program for adults with disabilities from 22 years of age and up. Participants are taught hands-on skills tailored to their needs and abilities, which will give them the instruction, knowledge, and experience to better enable them to enter the workforce and find a job in the food industry. Order taking, cashiering, and serving are just a few of the skills that will be taught. In addition, food choices and healthy eating, as well as social skills, are incorporated throughout the program.

At the end of this six-week program, each participant will have gained work experience and know-how, customer service and social skills, working as a team, working under time restraints, dress and hygiene skills, nutrition and healthy food choices, self-advocacy, personal confidence, and the satisfaction of a job well done!

Café Canteen Curriculum

• Week 1: Introduction and expectations; procedures including time sheets, uniforms, and routines; hygiene and work attire; and café rules
• Week 2: Review of procedures; jobs within the job and the skills/requirements needed for each; menu reading and order taking; cashier/calculator skills; nutrition
• Week 3: Chef day; cooking safety rules; cooking overview of the meal; recipe following; the importance of sanitizing and learning how to make healthy nutrition choices
• Week 4: Teamwork (what it is and what it looks like); job training for hostess/greeter, order taking, cashier and serving
• Week 5: Reading a grocery list, shopping for supplies, and budgeting practice
• Week 6: Customer day! Prep and get ready to open Café Canteen and practice the skills learned. Lunch and awards to follow.