Since Fair Shot opened up its Mayfair café in 2021, it has fulfilled a pledge to break down employment barriers by helping those with learning disabilities train in the hospitality sector.
Fast forward to 2023, and the café has made the move over to The Yards in Covent Garden, which has seen it become the area’s first non-profit social enterprise. The bigger site means they can help even more people, and it also ensures there are even more of their brunch dishes and fresh pastries to go around, which is always a bonus.
At Fair Shot, you can sit working away at your laptop or nattering away in their bright interior, while tucking into their all-day dining options. Overnight oats with caramelised air-fried pear, sultanas & honey tick all the boxes. Or, for the savoury-inclined, their selection of homemade focaccias, toasties and salads are perfect for a quick meal alongside a coffee.
Talking of which, the hot java comes from Curious Roo – providing specialty-grade coffee with notes of chocolate, caramel sweetness and a red apple aftertaste.
The Fair Shot story
Fair Shot Café was founded by Bianca Tavella in 2019 with a view to challenging the damning statistic that sees a 94% unemployment rate among adults with learning difficulties.
12 trainees take part each year in the café’s hospitality programme. They spend four days a week at the café and one day at their partner college, working alongside a mentor and job coach. Following a year at the café, trainees are then placed at organisations around London, from hospitality groups including Aquavit to corporate offices like Associated British Food.
In essence, it’s a lovely initiative, backed up by quality food, settings, and service.
Speaking on the new opening, Fair Shot Founder Bianca Tavella said: “In the space of a year, we’ve helped 21 adults get out of the unemployment cycle, taken off a huge amount of pressure off their families and changed thousands of mindsets amongst our customers creating an everlasting chain reaction of impact.
“We have trainees that had not left their house since the very start of the pandemic, trainees that have started making friends and socialising for the very first time, trainees that have started speaking, trainees that have started smiling and trainees that have developed a whole new sense of confidence.
“The Yards, Covent Garden represents a massive step forward, not only for Fair Shot but also in destigmatising disabilities, charity and inclusion. It is everything we could ever wish for and unlocks a whole new set of opportunities for our trainees and our business.”
Head on down to Fair Shot to grab a coffee and some delicious food, and support the company. Alternatively, anyone can support them by heading to the café’s donation page.