NJ Woman Opens Groundbreaking Café For Deaf Community In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — The path to success hasn’t been easy for Sandra Rivers. But that just makes the opening of New Jersey’s first café for people who are deaf or hard of hearing all the more rewarding.

Located in the heart of downtown Newark at 2 Treat Place, Deaf’s Delight Café serves a community that’s “way too often overlooked and misunderstood,” according to its website.

The mission is simple: Create a friendly environment where people who are deaf or hard of hearing can gather, socialize and enjoy a tasty snack in a place that feels like home. But sit down at a table, and it’s easy to see that the café has a deeper meaning for the patrons who gather there – and its owner, too.

“I can’t tell you enough how excited and proud we are to be opening the very first deaf café in the Tri-State area,” Rivers writes. “While the journey getting here has been filled with many challenges, blessings, setbacks, joy, heartache and love, over the years all of these things have been leading up to a higher purpose … the grand opening of Deaf’s Delight Café.”

While the café is "open to everyone," it has a special focus on providing a place that caters to the deaf community. The menu, which includes vegan and halal options, also reflects its mission to be inclusive for all.

For Rivers, the eatery – which employs workers who are deaf – is a tribute to her parents, who struggled to find a social gathering place where they could meet new people and have fun. It hasn’t been easy, however, NJ.com reported.

In June of 2019, after putting her life savings into the eatery, a heartbreaking burglary nearly stopped the effort in its tracks. And then, just as Rivers began to rebound, the coronavirus pandemic hit.

As a new business, the café hasn’t been able to qualify for the same aid as others in the neighborhood. According to Rivers:

“Since opening up in the middle of a pandemic, we have not received small business eligibility benefits because we have not been open within the year … So we are seeking help to raise funds to be able to keep this business going.”

Want to help? Make a donation or see the GoFundMe campaign here.

Unsurprisingly, the café has quickly found an eager base of customers, and not just from the Garden State.

The café even hosted a wedding, as seen in a video posted to social media.

But the founder of Deaf’s Delight Café continues to keep her eyes on the big picture: bridging the gap between the deaf community and their neighbors in the Garden State.

“Here in Newark, we have 22,000 individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, so that alone is a big job,” Rivers told ABC7 News.

“I want to be the change and make the change – and that’s why we're sitting here now,” she said.

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