Bitty & Beau's: Radically Inclusive/Inclusively Radical
And the cookies are good too!
On a recent cold, misty afternoon, Ricky and I met our friend Michael at Bitty & Beau’s new location in Homewood for a cup of hot coffee and some lively conversation.
This store is one of 20 locations all over the United States, but the original shop was started in Wilmington, N.C. by Amy and Ben Wright. Three of their four children have intellectual or developmental disabilities, and the Wrights were dismayed to find out how few employment opportunities existed for adults with autism and Down syndrome. That’s when they had the idea to start a coffee shop that “changes the way people see other people” by embracing radical inclusivity and employing these adults.
The idea exploded, and now there are Bitty & Beau’s coffee shops, which are named for two of the Wrights children who have Down syndrome, across the country giving their employees a sense of personal value and accomplishment. And, on the flip side, giving their customers a chance to meaningfully interact with and examine their opinions of people who are differently abled.
At Bitty & Beaus’s a big sign on the wall behind the counter reminds us to “change the way [YOU] see other people.” Although I didn’t think of this until after we’d left, the new year is a perfect time to examine ideas you may have and take the opportunity to open your heart and your mind.
And a chilly January day is the perfect time to order a cup of hot coffee and hang out with a friend, which is exactly what we did.
On this particular afternoon at 2, the place was packed! There were a few people studying or working, but mainly the two downstairs seating areas seemed filled with people who were visiting and generally sharing a good time together. There is also a large upstairs seating area with a sofa and more chairs, as well as a small private conference room. The interior is painted in a warm black (not at all dreary or depressing) with even warmer wood accents. And there is quite a bit of merch on display ranging from sweatshirts to teddy bears that supports Bitty & Beau’s mission.
Ricky and I arrived a bit before Michael, and Ricky chose a plain latte while I opted for a spiced brown sugar latte. We noticed a case of pastries by the register, but we paid them little attention because there is rarely a gluten-free option. We were given a laminated playing card, and told our card would be called when the coffees were ready, and we had barely gotten seated when we heard “five of hearts” called out from the counter.
When Michael arrived, he went to the counter to order and returned with an iced-coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. Michael always gets a chocolate chip cookie if one is available. I asked him if he had noticed any gluten-free options and, upon looking at his cookie’s packaging, he realized that it was, in fact, gluten-free, although he hadn’t specified for it to be.
Now curious, I went back up to the counter and the young man at the register told me that all their cookies and brownies are gluten free! HELLO! I chose a peanut butter cookie for Ricky and a brownie for myself.
The treats come individually packaged and are made by the WOW Baking Company (WithOut Wheat) out of Sumner, WA. Now we’ve tried tons of gluten-free baked goods, and these are the real deal. The brownie was moist and dense like you want it to be with chunks of chocolate throughout. Ricky said that the peanut butter cookie had a good texture and was “alright” but that he wished it had more peanut butter flavor. Michael, a connoisseur of the chocolate chip cookie said that he was “tempted to get 10 more” and that if they had just called it a “cookie” he would have never known that it was gluten-free. (The treats were so good we gobbled them up before I got a picture!)
Bitty & Beau’s also offers chai, frappes, and smoothies, but this day was a coffee day for us. Ricky enjoyed his latte and the flavor of the unadulterated hot coffee, and Michael reported that his cold brew was good as well. My spiced brown sugar latte was sweet without being cloyingly so as some lattes can be, and it was just what I wanted on a cold, rainy afternoon.
As far as coffee shops go, Bitty & Beau’s is exactly what you’d expect – about the same drink offerings, all the usual flavors, a familiar physical atmosphere. What sets it apart is the people.
You’re probably not shocked to hear me say that there’s a great deal of coffee snobbery out there. I’ve been to coffee shops where the staff can hardly take your order for looking down their noses at you. One instance in Brooklyn stands out to me. My friend ordered a vanilla latte, and the staff member looked at her as if she had ordered a cat turd latte. “We don’t have…vanilla…,” the person snarled. “What do you have?” my friend asked. The exasperated reply was “Turmeric.” Y’all, whether you're in New York or Alabama, turmeric and vanilla ain’t the same thing…not even close.
But I know working in a coffee shop is hard and thankless work because my son works in one. The hours are early and longer than the lines of people waiting on their app orders. Customers are indifferent to you at best and downright rude and condescending at the worst. The companies often don’t pay well or give you enough hours to make ends meet. So it’s no wonder that customers are often not greeted with even a smile, much less any sort of friendly exchange.
But at Bitty & Beau’s there’s none of that.
The staff seems genuinely happy to be there – happy to be at work. There’s laughter and joking behind the counter and in front of it. Staff members regularly come out from behind the counter to give someone a hug or make a little joke. And the customers even seemed a little brighter, a little happier, a little…well…nicer.
Which brings me back to the big message Bitty & Beau’s has painted on the wall behind the counter – “changing the way people see other people.” Wouldn’t it be a great way to start 2024 to examine the way we see other people, whether they be facing challenges like the staff at this particular coffee shop or maybe it’s the person in traffic in front of you or the janitor at your office building or the sullen teenager at your dinner table.
This year, let’s try to follow Bitty & Beau’s example and embrace people who may be different from us, brew up a practice of “radical inclusivity,” pour out some intentional sensitivity, and top it with a dusting of radical empathy. Then we can all drink in the goodness inspired by a coffee shop on a cold rainy day.
Here’s how we rated Bitty & Beau’s on a scale of 1 to 5 gluten-free cookies, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best:
Atmosphere: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
Food: 🍪🍪🍪🍪
Service: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
Bathrooms: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
