Around 80% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are unemployed, according to Bitty & Beau’s Coffee.
For Blake Hyland, that statistic is part of the reason the Waco coffee shop exists. Hyland has worked at Bitty & Beau’s since December 2021, just one month after the location opened, and said the opportunity to work is one of the things that makes the shop different.
“I can count at least three people that work here that have no chance at another job, unless it was Bitty & Beau’s,” Hyland said.
Bitty & Beau’s was founded in 2016 by Amy and Ben Wright after they learned about the lack of employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The couple wanted to create a place where people with disabilities could have meaningful work, eventually turning the idea into a coffee shop.
The Waco location opened in November 2021 and has since become a workplace for employees with different disabilities, including autism and spina bifida.
Hyland, who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in 2014, said the shop gives people opportunities they may not find elsewhere.
“We give opportunities to those that don’t have that opportunity,” Hyland said.
Austin Huber, a shift supervisor at Bitty & Beau’s, has worked with people with disabilities for about a decade. He said that experience was part of what drew him to the coffee shop.
“The term that it’s used is a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop,” Huber said.
Huber said employment can give people with disabilities a sense of purpose while also challenging the way others view their abilities.
“Everyone deserves a chance,” Huber said.
That opportunity does not mean employees are treated differently at Bitty & Beau’s, Huber said. Employees take orders, make drinks, interact with customers and work together throughout the day.
Huber said the employees have also developed a close relationship with each other. Although he started working at the shop in April, he said his coworkers have already become people he can rely on.
“We all very much have each other’s backs,” Huber said.
That support extends outside of work. Huber said his boss recently helped him move his bed, something he said shows how close the employees have become.
The shop also has an atmosphere that reflects its focus on bringing people together. Bitty & Beau’s has a karaoke machine, allowing for employees to sometimes perform for customers. One employee also performs spoken-word poetry.
“If you want a more upbeat coffee shop that's maybe a little bit busier, this is the place to go,” Huber said.
The shop also offers a free conference room that customers can reserve on a first-come, first-served basis. Huber said the room gives customers another option if they need a quieter place to work or meet.
“Hit us up and use that room,” Huber said.
While coffee is what brings customers through the door, Hyland said the people working behind the counter are what keep Bitty & Beau’s different from other coffee shops in Waco.
“We honestly have the greatest workers of any coffee shop, because we just love people so much,” Hyland said.