Food for Thought : Managing Neurodiverse Workers in a Restaurant

In 2021, Marie Jones (alias) and her team established a restaurant – Food for Thought (alias) – that employs neurodiverse employees alongside neurotypical employees. In addition to proving good quality food and service, their long-term goal was to train neurodiverse workers, who could then integrate into more "orthodox" restaurants that generally hire only neurotypical workers. In fact, the latter was the founders' passion towards contributing to society. During the initial training and hiring of potential employees, they discussed this possibility while also trying to understand the candidates' aspirations. In 2023, they were taking stock of the situation – the restaurant was running well but they were also considering a bigger question – were they ready to outplace their neurodiverse employees to other restaurants and hire and train new neurodiverse employees? The case sheds light on the steps that organisations can take for hiring, training and integrating neurodiverse employees and how certain organizational processes could be adapted to suit their needs. It also analyses an ethical dilemma for a responsible organisation and how it can balance the goals of efficiency and their vision of doing good for society at large.