Prairie Grass Cafe debuts sensory-friendly hours for autism, disorders

Chef Sarah Stegner started Prairie Grass Cafe in suburban Northbrook with the mission of making diners feel nurtured and taken care of.

So when Stegner learned that people with autism often feel overwhelmed when they go to restaurants, she saw addressing those needs as a natural way to continue that mission.

“(Prairie Grass Cafe) creates that space, that moment in time, where your needs are met and you feel safe,” Stegner said. “It makes sense, then, if you’re going to be inclusive, to do this for everybody, if you can.”

The restaurant will hold sensory-friendly dining hours for three Saturdays in August, meant to be a safe environment for people with autism, sensory input disorders, sensory sensitivities or disabilities.

Lights will be dimmed, noise will be limited, wait times for food will be shorter and staff will have minimal contact with patrons. Patrons are also welcome to bring headphones, fidget objects or other sensory devices.

For the menu, Stegner made sure to choose dishes that wouldn’t take a long time to prepare. That included removing the roast chicken, which typically takes 30-40 minutes.

Stegner, a James Beard Award-winning chef, said the goal is to raise awareness about accessibility. She wasn’t aware of any restaurants in the area that have sensory-friendly dining hours before making her own plans, she said.

“This is something that we could do as a community,” she said. “And it’s more logistical than financial, because I have the space, I have the food, I’m ready. So it’s just about blocking that time.”

In planning the dining hours, Stegner met with Hannah Rose Higdon, a consultant at LifeGuides, a support network that provides one-on-one guides for employees. Higdon, who is deaf, said she knows all too well the challenges that might come with navigating places like a busy restaurant.

People with different abilities can’t always just go out to get dinner with their family, she said.

“We’re going into spaces that aren’t necessarily made for us, and also aren’t necessarily welcome for us to go into,” Higdon said.

Higdon spent time talking to communities in different states who have attended sensory-friendly hours at restaurants or who have organized their own. She learned about what worked or didn’t work, advising Stegner and the staff at Prairie Grass.

“Dealing with anyone who is differently abled is really just taking their experience as what they say it is and saying, ‘Hey, I hear you, I might not know what it is like to experience life the way that you experience it. But I’m going to listen to you, and I’m going to provide you with resources and accessibility based on what you tell me is your experience,’” Higdon said.

A lot of working with people of different abilities is just listening to them, advocates say, and that’s something Stegner said she understands as part of the restaurant industry.

“If they feel heard, that’s half the battle,” she said. “And I think that’s true in every community that, you know, we all need different things, but giving (people with disabilities) that space and time feels right,” Stegner said.

The Boston-based organization Autism Eats plans events at restaurants all over the country, including Chicago, for families wanting to dine in autism-friendly environments. The organization will rent out entire buildings or sections of a restaurant.

Founder Lenard Zohn, who wasn’t involved in Prairie Grass Cafe’s planning, said dining is an experience that shouldn’t be limited to certain people. From a business standpoint, he said inclusive dining hours or events are a good way to attract the disability community.

Children with autism “will become adults with autism. So we’re not going anywhere,” he said. “And they’ve got families, and they’ve got social media and they’ve got a community.”

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Zohn has had his share of bad experiences at restaurants with his 18-year-old son Adin, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2. Coming from a family where “food was love,” Zohn said it’s important to make these spaces available for everyone.

“Dining is a personal thing. Like eating food — food is commutative, right? Food brings people together. So somebody’s saying, ‘Yeah, let’s do a special-occasion type of restaurant and make it accessible for everybody,’ it’s great,” Zohn said about Prairie Grass Cafe’s sensory-friendly dining hours.

The organizers of Prairie Grass Cafe’s sensory-friendly dining hours said they’re excited to learn from this experience, which includes being open to criticism or suggestions.

“You have to listen to the voices that it is for,” Higdon said. “This is a staircase. This is the first step that we’re making, but we want to continue to make those steps and then build on it.”

Prairie Grass Cafe’s sensory-friendly dining hours will be 3:45-5 p.m. Aug. 5, 12 and 26. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 847-205-4433.

vla@chicagotribune.com

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