The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes

In this extraordinary social experiment, a group of people all living with dementia, spanning different ages and at various stages of the disease, are tasked with helping run a restaurant led by a successful chef.

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer and around the world someone is diagnosed every three minutes. It’s a disease that doesn’t just affect older people and it doesn’t only impact on memory. Dementia can rob you of your speech, your mobility, your eyesight and if you are of working age it can cost you your job, and sometimes the roof over your head. This major new format sets out to change perceptions about the disease and demonstrate that a diagnosis doesn’t have to mean the end of a career.

Over a five week period, and with a dementia expert on hand to advise, the group take on all the roles of a busy restaurant – including cooking, taking orders, serving and making drinks. Celebrity diners and members of the public visit the restaurant to put the newly trained staff to the test. At the beginning of the experiment all volunteers are tested for cognition, mood and memory. The tests are then repeated at the end with surprising results.