How one deaf entrepreneur turned rejection into a profit

Culinary programs called her a “liability.” Banks refused her loan applications. Here’s the true story of a deaf entrepreneur who founded a pizza empire backed by her community.

Subscribe to Freethink on YouTube ► https://freeth.ink/youtube-subscribe
Up Next ► How a poker prodigy accidentally created a booming vertical farm https://youtu.be/1MkRX2fPP58

[Melody Stein always knew that she wanted to own her own business. As the daughter of San Francisco restaurateurs, building a restaurant from the ground up seemed like a natural choice when she was in her late teenage years. So she applied for work at a local restaurant, aiming to get the kitchen experience she’d need to one day build her own operation.

But the management told Melody she was a liability. Because Melody is deaf, they reasoned, she might have accidental run-ins with staff while they were carrying dishes or hot pots and pans. They rejected her application.

In 2011, Melody and her husband Russ opened a pizzeria, a restaurant where an all-deaf staff cooks and serves Neapolitan pizzas. The idea was to serve excellent food in an atmosphere that’s welcoming to both the Deaf community and hearing customers alike.

Since 2011, the restaurant's two locations in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. have hosted hundreds of Deaf customers from around the world, including Sweden, Italy, China, Japan, and Brazil.

Watch on Freethink.com ► https://www.freethink.com/series/ramen-profitable/deaf-owned-pizzeria

This video was created in partnership with Million Stories Media.

◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠
Watch more of our stories on accessibility:
Smart cane gives the blind freedom to explore
► https://www.freethink.com/technology/smart-cane-for-the-blind
Closed caption glasses: A new way to watch theater
► https://www.freethink.com/technology/closed-caption-glasses
Red Bull’s underground pitch competition for young innovators
► https://www.freethink.com/entrepreneurship-innovation/pitch-competition
◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡

Watch our original series:
► Hard Reset: https://freeth.ink/youtube-hard-reset
► Just Might Work: https://freeth.ink/youtube-just-might-work
► Challengers: https://freeth.ink/youtube-challengers

◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠
About Freethink
No politics, no gossip, no cynics. At Freethink, we believe the daily news should inspire people to build a better world. While most media is fueled by toxic politics and negativity, we focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future.
◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡◡

Enjoy Freethink on your favorite platforms:
► Daily editorial features: http://www.freethink.com​
► Solutions-based stories, straight to your inbox: https://www.freethink.com/subscribe
► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freethinkmedia​
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethink​
► Twitter: https://twitter.com/freethinkmedia​
► Join the Freethink forum: http://www.facebook.com/groups/freethinkforum