Frequently Asked Questions

OUR CAFÉS-RESTAURANTS 

What is Café Joyeux?

Initiated in France in 2017, Café Joyeux is the first family of café-restaurants employing and training people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), giving them the same opportunities as any other employee. Our mission is to open the hearts and position the human component at the core of everything we do. 

How is Café Joyeux concept innovative? 

Unlike with most disability programs, our crew members don’t have a 1:1 Support Coach during their shifts at the café, as our objective is to train and guide them toward enhanced autonomy.  

 

The 2nd innovative aspect of our model is that we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization: all our profits are reinvested in our mission. 

When did the first Café Joyeux open? 

The very first Café Joyeux opened in Rennes, France in December of 2017.  

In late 2021, Café Joyeux expanded outside of France and opened its first international location in Lisbon, Portugal. Cafe Joyeux’ first American café, located in New York City, soft-opened at the end of 2023. 

How did the idea of Café Joyeux come up?

Yann and Lydwine Bucaille launched an innovative associative project in 2012: “Émeraude Voile Solidaire”, which enabled people in need to sail for a day on a catamaran off the coast of Dinard in Brittany. In 2014, after returning from a day on the water, 20-year-old Théo, who has autism, said to Yann: "Captain, I heard you're the boss; don't you have a job for me?". Yann realized he had nothing to offer him. This was how Café Joyeux started. In Café Joyeux’ logo, the character is inspired by Theo.

Will there be more cafés in the US after NYC? 

Since we opened our NYC café, we have received incredible support. We want to manage our expansion carefully, and for the moment we focus on making our NYC café a success, where our employees and guests enjoy a mutually satisfying experience. Also, opening a new café requires funding, which we must secure first. 

DONATIONS & FUNDING

What type of organization is Café Joyeux? 

We are a 501(c)3 non–profit organization. All our profits are reinvested in supporting our mission. 

What is your funding model? 

We have 2 internal sources of revenue: the sales at the café and our own line of coffee, that is sold at the café, online and to corporations. External funding such as grants and donations are great contributors to our model as they allow us to directly fund the core of our mission: hiring and training new people with IDD through the growth of our existing activity and the opening of new cafés. 

How can I make a donation? 

The easiest way is to donate online through our website. Contact us at corporate.us@cafejoyeux.com for corporate donations. 

How will my donation be used?

Donations enable the hiring and ongoing training of our crew members with IDD, as well as the supervising staff. 

WORKING FOR CAFE JOYEUX

What is a crew member? A skipper? 

As a nod to how this joyful adventure started, we have adopted the names used on a ship: at Cafe Joyeux, the crew members prepare the orders, operate the register and serve customers; the skippers are the supervising staff, and help keep things smooth for everyone.

How many Crew Members are part of Café Joyeux?

This number changes every day. As of mid-March 2024, there were a total 168 crew members with IDD, including 14 in the US.

What is the proportion of employees with / without IDD?

At the café, we try to maintain a minimum of 65% IDD employees on our team.

Do you accept all sorts of disabilities?

We exclusively focus on intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Do future employees need experience in hospitality to be considered?

Crew members don’t need any prior hospitality experience to work with us as we provide them with thorough training and coaching. For most of the other jobs at the café though (barista, cooks, management...), previous experience might be required.

How is the interaction between Crew Members and Customers going?

The welcoming at Café Joyeux is friendly on both sides. The guests are generally very kind to the team and always leave our place happier!

Where do you find your crew members? How to apply for a job at Café Joyeux?

We are working closely with a few IDD associations, and word of mouth has been doing the rest. We are maintaining a pool of applications from people with IDD who see in Café Joyeux a unique opportunity to find a meaningful job.

CAFE JOYEUX’ COFFEE

What type of coffee are you offering?

We introduced our new line of coffee in March 2024 both online and at the café*, with an initial selection of 4 essential brews available in both beans and ground: black coffee, espresso, decaf, cold brew. More references will be introduced gradually.  

 

Our specialty coffee is fair-trade, 100% arabica, roasted in NYC. Our roaster selects the best growers for each type, picking the beans with the highest screen as a pledge of quality.    

 

Capsules (Nespresso compatible) are available at our NYC café and will be offered online at a later date.  

100% of the profits generated by the sale of our coffee are directly reinvested in supporting our mission.  

 

* The availability of coffee products for sale between our website and the café may vary 

Where is your coffee coming from?

Our coffee is sourced and harvested in the most reputed places in the world for coffee beans: South and Central America, Ethiopia, Indonesia... The origin is specified in each product description on our website.

How is your coffee made?

Our specialty coffee is roasted and packed in New York, to be as sustainable as possible. Our roaster selects the finest beans from lands over 500 m above sea level. Their technique considers the nature of the bean and its origins to establish the most suitable roasting curve (color, density, humidity), small batch quantities, gentle temperatures and slow roasting (20 to 25 minutes).

Can companies buy Café Joyeux’ coffee?

Some of our references are indeed available for companies to offer to their employees. For all corporate inquiries, pls email us at corporate.us@cafejoyeux.com

Where are the profits going?

When you enjoy a cup of Café Joyeux, whether at the café, at home or in your company, you enter a virtuous circle: all profits contribute to the opening of our next café-restaurants and thus to the employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.