Stories

On the second of July, 2018, Professor Brawn Cafe opened its doors on RI’s campus for the first time. For the last seven years, they’ve served staff and students diligently, capturing the hearts and stomachs of the RI community. But now, their time at RI draws to a close. 

Started in 2009, Professor Brawn Cafe—known familiarly as Prof Brawn—began with a shared dream to support the special needs community in Singapore. The cafe was, and still is, a way to provide special needs individuals with employment opportunities, showcase special talents, and raise awareness and contributions to the cause.

The cafe is named after the superhero Professor Brawn, a character created by a child on the autism spectrum. Described as “strong, smart, and kind”, he is the mascot and catalyst of the Prof Brawn brand, championing the values of quality, dignity, and inclusivity. 

After nearly nine years, ownership of the cafe was gifted to the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), who were the ones to bring Prof Brawn to RI. As with all Prof Brawn outlets, the staff at RI’s cafe is composed of differently-abled staff, continuing the cafe’s goal of serving quality and affordable food by an inclusive team. 

“Apart from ARC(S)’s own Pathlight School, RI was our first partner to operate in a school compound,” cafe manager Ms Claudia Wong shares. “It gave us the opportunity to test-bed how we could scale our operations to provide more jobs for the special needs community, and attests to our belief that with training and support, people with autism can work.”

In Prof Brawn, special accommodations are made for differently-abled staff to do meaningful work. Zhi Hao, a thirty-eight year old dishwasher with autism whose responsibilities include dishwashing and stocking of food items, says, “My supervisors and colleagues are patient, and they understand me.” The managers also give clear instructions and visual supports to help him work effectively. 

Currently tucked into the foyer by the bookshop, Prof Brawn serves up mains like chicken katsu sandwiches, sides like cheese fries, and (until very recently) even bubble tea from Gong Cha. 

“I love buying Gong Cha from them at 7.45 am,” Ariann Khoo (26S06B) shares. “I’m the first customer of the day! And of course their iconic Mac and Cheese with chilli sauce.” 

“I remember running from class to Prof Brawn to beat the queues for some Aglio Olio,” another Y5 student recounts, reflecting on his memories of the cafe from years ago. “[Prof Brawn’s food] was always an important part of my RI school life, as I would have it whenever meeting with friends at the Raja Foyer.” 

The impact goes both ways. Kah Wye, a part-time cashier, shares his favourite parts of working at Prof Brawn RI. 

“I have fond memories of an admin lady who calls me by my name when she comes around,” he says. “The students are friendly and nice, too. Some even gave us snacks and thank you notes on Staff Appreciation  Day—I was so surprised!” 

At just twenty-two years old, Kah Wye has worked at Prof Brawn RI for over two years. His responsibilities include brewing tea, setting up and closing the kiosk, handling cashier duties, as well as cleaning up at the end of the day. He’s diagnosed with autism and anxiety, something which occasionally affects him at work. 

 “But the students are very nice, supportive, and patient with me,” he recounts. “Sometimes when I am ‘jammed’ while doing cashier duties, they tell me to take my time.”  

“Very often, students and teachers would stop by not just to buy food, but to greet our staff, ask about their day, or simply share a smile,” Claudia echoes. “For our team, these small gestures meant a lot—it showed they were accepted and respected as part of the RI community. Watching those natural connections grow has been one of the most meaningful parts of our time here.”

Throughout the years, Prof Brawn has served delicious food to the entire Y1-6 RI population. However, its effects extend far beyond the school walls. It empowers individuals through meaningful work, bridging the gap between social welfare and economic participation. By providing real job training and a helpful environment, it nurtures independence, dignity and self-confidence in those who might have been sidelined by mainstream employment. 

Zhi Hao recounts, “One of my favourite memories was representing Prof Brawn RI at a company event to share about our work at RI.” 

Despite being nervous at first, he felt that everybody was supportive and enjoyed it very much. By encouraging interaction between workers of different abilities, ages and backgrounds, and with customers face-to-face, Prof Brawn serves as a training ground to build work readiness and social skills.

“I enjoy having a good relationship with my co-workers and sharing fun conversations with them, especially the chefs who are so funny,” Zhi Hao elaborates. 

Kah Wye adds, “I really appreciate that my supervisors and co-workers are kind, understanding, and cheerful. They understand my anxiety and support my needs at work.”

But the cafe cannot run on smiles and friendship alone. Across the years, Prof Brawn RI has faced a number of challenges, including typical F&B business-related challenges like financial sustainability and overhead costs. For Prof Brawn RI, a combination of inflation and a lack of customers during the holidays was the nail in the coffin. Due to its nature, providing job training while maintaining a supportive environment also contributes to their operational costs. 

“Like most food operators in schools, Prof Brawn also faced similar challenges given that schools do not operate 365 days a year, hence sales revenue is limited by the school days. We were very grateful and encouraged that the school leadership provided an option for us to move to Raja block where we could be nearer to the secondary school population,” Claudia tells us. “We saw many more students coming in regularly, and our kiosk became a lively welcoming spot for everyone. While this has helped to boost our sales, the underlying challenge of not having business every day of the year due to the school calendar could not be fully mitigated.”

Situating itself in RI, Prof Brawn demonstrates that inclusion can be woven into our daily life, such as buying a meal, instead of relegated to specific acts of charity. 

The cafe’s last day with RI is 30th October, after which they will be ceasing operations. To celebrate their time with the school, they are offering a rotating menu of their all-time favourite dishes, as well as free sides. Students are also highly encouraged to visit the cafe and leave appreciation notes or take photos. 

Prof Brawn RI has shared a message they would like passed on to the school:

“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the school for the incredible partnership and support over the past seven years. Through this journey, our cafe has not only provided meals but also created opportunities for our special needs team to learn, work and build confidence in a supportive environment.

Though our cafe’s chapter in RI is coming to a close, the friendships, memories, and lessons we have shared here will always remain close to our hearts. We will continue this partnership through other forms with our parent charity Autism Resource Centre. We hope staff and students can continue to support Professor Brawn at our other 2 outlets–Pathlight School in Ang Mo Kio and Tampines, which are open to the public 9am – 9pm Mon – Saturdays. They might catch some familiar faces of our staff there!

Thank you for believing in our mission and for being such an important part of our story.”

Prof Brawn may no longer be operating in RI, but their impact on students, staff, and the rest of the RI community will be fondly remembered.

Raffles Press wishes them all the best in their future endeavours in supporting the special needs community!



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