(Yicai Global) May 20 -- Starbucks has opened a "silent cafe" in Guangzhou, where about half of the staff are people with hearing loss issues as part of an initiative to support the employment of people with disabilities, Xinhua News Agency reported today.

Fourteen of the 30 staff at the shop located in Yuexiu district have impaired hearing. The shop has a specially-designed system that allows people to place orders without saying a word.

For example, all drinks and food are numbered to facilitate orders, and customers can also write their specific needs.

Editor: William Clegg