A restaurant without barriers (although nobody notices)
Not everyone perceives what makes this restaurant special. The warm and modern design it is an obvious clue that, however, is not so easy to detect.
The letter does not help to be noticed, because that selection of Iberian dishes s so promising draws attention to the pleas of the stomach. Objective accomplished: accessibility is so integrated that very few people realize that there are no barriers for anyone here.
in explore the bar has two heights for the ones wheelchair diners order your drink looking into the waiter's eyes . There are braille menus . The automatic doors s do not force you to make efforts to enter the bathroom. a discreet ramp facilitates entry to the premises. And it's time to admit that, when obstacles in public places they have never been a problem for oneself, these signs are not recognized at first.
Not everyone perceives what makes this restaurant special
"What I hope is that customers who don't need it don't notice it," says **Antonio Barea, CEO of the Ilunion group's Marketing Division**. Global accessibility is one of the pillars on which Esplore stands, Ilunion's gastronomic project that recently opened its second location in Madrid .
But Barea reminds us of the other two fundamental points that define Esplore's identity: the creation of stable employment for people with disabilities and the rediscovery of Iberian products from Spain.
Don't miss out on an acorn-fed Iberian ham at Esplore
The features of the restaurant make up a all homogeneous so that, in the end, the culinary experience is combined with the adaptation of the space.
For example, a blind person can taste a succulent sirloin with denomination of origin from Extremadura or some crumbs with fried egg without worrying about choosing the correct cutlery, since touch-friendly design It helps you know where the knife is without having to accidentally cut yourself to find out.
Some systems are really innovative , Like the beepcons who guide the blind through the restaurant using vibrations and beeps or the magnetic loop that reduces background noise to boost hearing aids used by deaf people.
But many of the adaptations are not the work of ingenuity, but of empathy.
Explore benefits from the experience and knowledge of Ilunion to create an accessible design and train its professionals in caring for people with physical and sensory disabilities, but the CEO assures that any establishment can do it. “If we are capable, others are capable”, says Barea. "We are not inventing teleportation, we are applying common sense."
Cutlery with design adapted to the touch in Esplore
Many owners think that their restaurants are completely adapted by having a ramp at the entrance or a sliding door in the bathroom, but the overall accessibility it goes beyond making a couple of changes.
it is necessary alleviate ignorance and eradicate the false belief that we are fully aware of the needs of people with disabilities. And you have to pay attention to all the details.
Ilunion wants to multiply its restaurant throughout Spain until it opens a total of ten premises in the next four years. If 70% of Esplore's current workforce is made up of people with disabilities, which makes it a special employment center, How many jobs will the chain create by 2021?
Various cuts of grilled Iberian pork at Esplore
The growth objective, although ambitious, fits the pace with which the restaurant seeks the purest recipes and the best quality ingredients. Added to these goals is the initiative to continue exploring the path of accessible design.
Esplore makes it clear, more noticeably to some than to others, that it is as much a gastronomic journey as it is a journey towards full integration and accessibility in the Spanish restoration.
View of the corner shop in Esplore
Address: Clavel 5 and Juan Bravo 41 See map
Telephone: 910 00 94 88
Schedule: Carnation 5 (Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 23:00; Friday from 10:00 to 01:00; Saturday from 12:00 to 01:00; Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00)
Additional schedule information: Juan Bravo 41 (Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 23:00; Friday from 10:00 to 00:00; Saturday from 12:00 to 00:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00)
Half price: €20 approximately