Deaf Restaurateur Listens to Her Heart

Melody Stein never let being deaf get in the way of her dream of opening a restaurant. She and her husband, Russell Stein, are the proud owners of Mozzeria, a gourmet-pizza restaurant in San Francisco. They are likely the first deaf people to open a restaurant in the Bay Area, and one of very few in the country to do so. Ms. Stein has intentionally hired deaf people, from the wait staff to construction workers, largely because they have difficulty getting jobs at businesses owned by hearing people. "It's great to see someone doing something that innovative in the disabled community," says Rob Black, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. "To compete at that level while being inclusive is really special." Owning a business in a very public arena, where some customers and suppliers may be unused to interacting with deaf people, has certainly brought challenges. Some vendors, for example, ignore Melody and try to go straight to a hearing member of the kitchen staff. "I am the owner, and the one they should talk to," she says. "I find I have to put my foot down." So she has found creative ways to break through communication barriers, such as using whiteboards or writing on a piece of paper, using the keyboards at the hostess stand, or typing on an iPad.

The Wall Street Journal, 3/21/2012