Bear-clawed baristas turn literal hole-in-the-wall cafe in Shanghai into inspiration for China’s millions of people with disabilities

Hinichijou Cafe has been widely welcomed by the public, allowing it to open nine branches in Shanghai since 2020

A recently opened cafe in the city is breaking from its hole-in-the-wall tradition and is run by a pair of visually impaired twin brothers.

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A barista waves out of a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ cafe in Shanghai. Photo: SCMP

Published: 2:00pm, 14 Aug 2022

On a narrow street full of coffee shops and bars in the central urban area of Shanghai, a hole on a grey wall features a strange sight: a furry bear claw pointing to a QR code, encouraging people to use it to order their caffeine fix for the day.

Wearing the bear claw was a deaf barista working at a cafe named Hinichijou, a small business that only hires people with disabilities.

The cafe only serves takeaway orders, and the baristas must watch a security monitor to see when customers are arriving. They take the order through the QR code system, serve the coffee through the hole and shake the customers’ hands with their bear claw before waving goodbye.

The original cafe is famous online and has become a staple of Yongkang Road, a Shanghai street famous for its bars and restaurants.

Hinichijou serves takeaway only coffee drinks, which has become a successful gimmick for the brand. Photo: SCMP

Since opening in December 2020, Hinichijou found quick success and now has nine locations across Shanghai, all focusing on providing work for people with disabilities.