Ottawa patrons will have a chance to eat in the dark at a new restaurant in the ByWard Market this fall.
Dark Fork has announced plans to open the city’s first “dine-in-the-dark restaurant” on George Street, where patrons will eat in a dark dining room where cellphones and other sources of artificial light are forbidden.
“‘Dark Fork’ will open its doors this fall in the ByWard Market, allowing restaurant-goers a chance not only to sample the establishment’s extensive menu but also to experience a taste—literally—of life as a visually impaired person,” says a media release.
Moe Alameddine is the founder of the dark dining experience.
“Ottawa is a special city to my heart. Ottawa mon amour. This is why I’m here,” Alameddine said.
Patrons will begin their experience at the restaurant in a lighted lounge where they can view the menu, but the restaurant “goes dark” as you are seated in the dining area.
“For individuals with typical vision, eating in the dark is a foreign concept, but for people who are blind, sitting down to meals in near or total darkness is an everyday routine,” Dark Fork says. “The darkness of the restaurant transforms a prime dining experience into an unrivaled tactile and sensory adventure, allowing sighted people to experience life without vision, along with a correspondingly heightened sense of taste and touch.”
Dark Fork says its wait staff will primarily be visually impaired.
“While patrons are unable to see the table or anything else around them, the servers use their lived experience of blindness to expertly wait on tables,” the restaurant says. “A guide server explains where patrons can find everything on their table and access the lighted bathrooms—with the assistance of their visually impaired guide, of course.”
There are more than 20 dark dining restaurants around the world, including in Paris, London, New York, Montreal and Tokyo.
Dark Fork will open Sept. 25, and will be open for dining Wednesdays to Sundays. The restaurant will be located in the former Mamma Grazzi’s Kitchen.