Anime Cafe.

Started by PeppstaR, August 27, 2007, 08:30:19 PM

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pockystix

Quote from: "Jerry"if anything just make it look like your standard

fanboy/girl room...

like so:
[imghere]

Actually, I would would high recommend NOT to have your cafe look like an otaku's room. As often times it is highly cluttered, people may feel cramped or uncomfortable. It IS a cafe after all, which are places where people can relax and have room to breathe. I think it would be nice to have a little indie/contemporary interior designed mixed in. There's a possibility that not all people that visit the cafe even like anime, so you don't want to frighten/intimidate customers away.

You can do this by framing posters (probably choose the best/signed ones), displaying figures tastefully, and so on.

I second on the idea of a maid/cosplay cafe. One or two girls would be plenty. Good luck finding ways to fund that, however...
New sn = Meirin

PeppstaR

I would love to have a 'Maid Cafe'. Maybe that can be one of the events but not done daily. A couple of reasons I can't have it daily would be finding staff that would want to dress as maids and there's a bar across the street. I wouldn't want the drunks coming in harassing the girls. I already have some pervs that come in when our female staff is on.

BUT, I would do it as an event. Like for one weekend. Maybe I can colaborate with Fanime's Maid Cafe and we can work together to raise funds to help out the Maid Cafe for '08. (That's if there's going to be one next year).
Angry Guy Art Studios
www.agartstudios.com

Chun

Quote from: "PeppstaR"there's a bar across the street. I wouldn't want the drunks coming in harassing the girls.

Then I'd advise against the attempt at the maid cafe in general. The reason maid cafes thrive in Japan is because generally they're also placed in area such that otaku typically hang around, which is generally a sect of a city which is relatively safe (This isn't Red Light).

Given the affiliations that the United States has with Maids with sexual themes moreso than having a master being served his/her meal, you'd also be shelling out much more money getting the costumes, paying the hours; if a drunk or some "pervs" as you say walk by, nothing's to stop word getting around.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can't really have a "Maid Cafe Event" when the original concept uses a everyday service basis. It's something that would need to be done long term, as it requires devotion to emulate the correct experience, or reap an amount to break even/profit.

But of course, there's always the "Hey, we have outfits, we have pictures, we're a maid cafe now kthxbye" attempt, nothing wrong with that, but so long as you're not fanfaring the actual "Akihabara Experience". There's more to it than simply outfits and doilies on the table.

~Chun

Su-Cool. There's Not Enough Of It.
Fanime Panelist (Pangya: 2007, 2008; Vocaloid: 2009, 2010)

Chloe

Wow, I never thought someone would actually turn a cafe into an "Anime themed" cafe...

Well, it sure is a stretch, but hopefully with the advice everyone has given you, it should work out.

Although, I get a bit scared to how it might get critized though... Good luck though!
Cosplays for '10?  WHO KNOWS!?!

OniCourseMusha

I would like to check out this cafe for curiousity.
FanimeCon E-gaming Room Staff
Kraken Con Staff

Cosplay: DDR Pad/Box, Brain Age, Andross (SNES), Formal Totoro, Master/Crazy Hand

Sidekick

#25
!!! Omg, you guys are 5 minutes away from me! So visiting.

Edit: Damnit, but the hours you're open (at least on weekdays) I'm working.  :(

JohnnyAR

#26
Quote from: PeppstaR on August 27, 2007, 10:39:27 PM

Yeah, that's why I mentioned Viz. I know they're local.  :D
We're in San Bruno, CA on San Mateo Ave. The shop is called Never Too Latte. It was a pre-existing coffee shop that we took over and now we are converting over to our anime theme. We also want to promote other art as well, for example we have some stuff posted up from a local Photographer up right now. We are slowly breaking in the locals to our anime theme (don't want to freak them out right away :wink: )

oh and here's some info for now:
www.nevertoolatte.biz


Awwwww man San Bruno, damnit! I was hoping it would be at San Jose, man. Oh by the way isn't there a maid cafe at the FanimeCon?

JohnnyAR

Quote from: astroboy on August 29, 2007, 04:50:35 PM
Wow starting up a business that's waaaay beyond my level.

My advice is stick with a consistent theme and do NOT add too much selection on your menu.

For example I once saw a restaurant that tried to sell:
1) Chinese food
2) Hamburgers
3) Donuts
under the same roof --> TOTAL disaster.

I guess the owner thought he could get more customers by adding a greater selection of unrelated items, instead he scared people away. I didn't bother to even step inside. The thought of eating donuts with the smell of Chinese food in the air or eating Chinese food with the possibility of hamburger grease mixed in wasn't very appetizing. *runs away*

Call me weird but I think a restaurant / cafe with only 10 items can defeat another with 100 items on the menu. An extreme example - (In-n-out burgers vs. McDonald's). People keep on choosing In-n-out even though the selection is ridiculously limited.

why?
Because In-n-out does fries and burgers better then anyone else. They've got the manual potato cutter gimmick which I never get tired of. How can any other burger joint claim to have fresher french fries when In-n-out is the only place that literally cuts the potatoes into fries right in front of you!

It's better to do 1 thing the BEST (that no one else can do) rather then try to do 100 things that anyone can also do.

I hope I wasn't getting off topic

and good luck!!! ^_^


Good point d00d, I guess its because some ppl wanna avoid pressure of having a choice of so many things, well I can't tell the differnce between certain foods.

JohnnyAR

#28
Quote from: PeppstaR on August 31, 2007, 11:30:58 AM
I would love to have a 'Maid Cafe'. Maybe that can be one of the events but not done daily. A couple of reasons I can't have it daily would be finding staff that would want to dress as maids and there's a bar across the street. I wouldn't want the drunks coming in harassing the girls. I already have some pervs that come in when our female staff is on.

BUT, I would do it as an event. Like for one weekend. Maybe I can colaborate with Fanime's Maid Cafe and we can work together to raise funds to help out the Maid Cafe for '08. (That's if there's going to be one next year).

heh heh no lousy drunks are gonna ruin dat, I can volunteer as a guard, I know martial arts. Please! Yeah how about it? I need suspense in my life! I really do, I lead a boring life. I'm serious.............................

Anyways, I heard from some1 that they can just take a light rail, which one is it? I hope its the VTA. Wait are you guys open yet? or are you still getting things ready?

Oh about having it anime themed, don't put too much or too less. Put up at least some of the older anime shows like: Go Speed Racer, Astro Boy, Voltron to attract some of the "older" folks, I've known a few adults how loved those anime shows when they were kids and it might actually work! But put the posters all at once, do it from time to time like every 4-7 months. Try to add other themes to attract other type of people, try putting stuff to attract rockers, add a few things to attract those who like Rap and Hip Hop. Oh when you have a time in the Cafe that will show an anime playing, try something not too silly, not too perverted, not too violent, not too cheesey if theres any out there, no bad language.

Have a normal everyday Cafe menu with your average coffee, lattes, hot coco, bagels, donuts, and other sorts of drinks in a lil fridge. Just do something that'll make people like your Cafe better than Starbucks.

alkaline

Hmm ... Whatever happened with this? I actually work in San Bruno now.

PeppstaR

Quote from: alkaline on October 24, 2007, 06:11:10 PM
Hmm ... Whatever happened with this? I actually work in San Bruno now.

It's still in the works. The shop is called "Never Too Latte" on San Mateo Ave. I would've posted updates but I just found out that the forums are back up.

I'll update everyone on everything soon. I got some posters from the Asian Art Musuem from the Marvel of Manga: Tezuka exhibit. (AG Art Studios made the shirts for that event  ;D)
Angry Guy Art Studios
www.agartstudios.com

PeppstaR

Update:

Well, a lot more of the remodeling has been done. Our new counter has been completed minus the sneeze guard glass, but the crepe irons are all set. We also bought a panini press. So now we serve crepes and panini sandwiches ;D

What was pretty cool is how we're finding out that some our regular customers are into anime. As we put up more anime stuff, they started coming out of the woodwork. It was really surprising to see who was into anime. One guy gave us a couple Bleach figures to put next to our little Roronoa Zoro figure. These are just those little PVC figures you can get at the supermarkets but it's pretty cool to just have those randomly around. Once my brother has more time to complete some garage kits, we'll add them in with the Gamera that we have there now.

It's starting to get the theme in place. I think that since we are adding things in here and there it helps break in the locals to our anime theme. I think that it would be too much of a shocker to hit them with it all at once ;)

More updates later.

-Pepp
Angry Guy Art Studios
www.agartstudios.com