Starbucks outlet with disabled staff off to a good start

Starbucks Coffee Korea’s first store that employed workers with disabilities and designed to be convenient for disabled customers placed top five in sales among 12 outlets in the neighborhood, despite only taking to-go orders.

The outlet's sales are 160 percent higher than expected, with a daily average of 600 customers during weekdays.

According to the branch’s hearing-impaired sub-manager, Choi Ye-na, he appreciates how customers express support knowing that the outlet is special. He added that customers get along without discrimination.

The new store inside Seoul National University Dental Hospital, which opened in early December, has half of its 12 staff positions occupied by people with disabilities.

The store disability-friendly features, including different colored lines to direct customers with color blindness.

Some of the outlet's revenue will be donated to the Seoul National University Hospital to fund dental surgery for the disabled with low income.