This text is part of the special Philanthropy section
In April, Rôtisseries St-Hubert celebrated the first anniversary of their inclusive dining rooms. Thirteen restaurants in the chain offer a setting every Sunday lunchtime adapted to the needs of people with autism disorder (ASD). In partnership with the Autistic & Major Foundation, this initiative is accompanied by another inclusive project: the hiring of autistic adults in the company’s factory.
“The St-Hubert Foundation has existed for 12 years. Over the years, we have established agreements with various charitable organizations. However, we were looking for which cause we could develop further,” says Josée Vaillancourt, director of communications for the St-Hubert Group and the St-Hubert Foundation. Since 2020, the latter has donated one million dollars to the Autist & Major Foundation, co-founded by actress Sophie Prégent and host Charles Lafortune. The couple are parents to Mathis, a young adult with autism.
In February 2024, the St-Hubert Foundation announced an additional donation of $1.5 million over the next five years to this organization which helps young adults with ASD. More than just a donor, she has become a partner. “The Autism & Major Foundation allows us to forge links with experts in their field, such as the Autism Foundation Laurentides. It was with her that we carried out our project to hire autistic people in our factory, and the Autism center À pas de jardin. The latter supported us to develop our inclusive rotisserie program for autistic people and their families,” explains M.me Vaillancourt.
Welcome customers
“Restaurants are generally not the go-to place for autistic people, as there are often too many noises and too many people. It’s difficult to integrate them, but St-Hubert does it with a lot of good will,” underlines Sophie Prégent, who herself attended one of the branches participating in the initiative with her partner and their son. “The majority of families who were there had an autistic child, which relieved us, in a way. If Mathis got dirty or raised his voice, it didn’t matter! » she says.
In the chain’s 13 rotisseries included in the program, people with ASD and their entourage are welcomed every Sunday in an adapted manner. “When we launched our pilot project in Saint-Eustache, a mother of an autistic child told us that they had never gone out to a restaurant in their life before. She asked us to take a photo to prove to her family that she had indeed gone to the restaurant with her child. We had tears in our eyes,” recalls M.me Vaillancourt, who has also seen some young autistic people become more and more comfortable over the course of their visits to the rotisserie.
Several tools have been developed to optimize the experience of autistic people and their loved ones: a virtual tour of the establishment as well as guides are available on the St-Hubert site to prepare for the visit in advance. The employees, who are trained for this reception, offer them the most appropriate places (far from the comings and goings of the kitchen, for example). A sensory kit containing an anti-stress ball, a timer and a bubble game also makes waiting time easier. “We have received hundreds of autistic people in the 13 rotisseries that offer the program at the moment. They feel welcome and safe,” rejoices Mme Vaillancourt, who advises making reservations to ensure that a sensory kit will be available.
Employees like the others
Among the workforce at the St-Hubert Group food manufacturing plant in Boisbriand, eight workers are autistic people. They were hired as part of a project set up by the St-Hubert Foundation in partnership with the Autist & Major Foundation. They will celebrate their first year in part-time position in May. “They do tasks identical to those of our other employees, under the same conditions as their colleagues,” argues Mme Vaillancourt. “Their income is equal to that of neurotypical employees occupying the same position. To my knowledge, this is the best that is currently being done in Quebec in terms of integration,” underlines Sophie Prégent.
The St-Hubert Group was able to count on the Fondation Autisme Laurentides to target jobs that could correspond to people with ASD, conduct interviews and develop the necessary training. “We didn’t need to create specific positions. With good will, other companies could also find existing functions that could be suitable: we just need to take a step back and look at what can be done,” says Mme Vaillancourt.
St-Hubert staff are touched by this initiative. “There are a lot of autistic people around us, whether we know it or not. Our employees generally feel challenged by this project which is very well received in our factory,” observes M.me Vaillancourt. The group also uses an autistic person and several blind people in its customer service center.
For the Autist & Major Foundation, the rotisserie chain is a pioneer in Quebec. “It’s more than inclusion,” says Sophie Prégent. The St-Hubert Group is in the process of changing living together. »
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.