So how bout that Maid Cafe eh?

[JohnnyAR]

Do they have to be girls? what if there are female customers and want a butler?


We should have half of it cosplay, people cosplay as characters that have Masters example: Imagine at a table at the cafe and all of a sudden Alucard comes over to you and says "What will you order my Master?"

[Sunara Ishi]

Do they have to be girls? what if there are female customers and want a butler?


We should have half of it cosplay, people cosplay as characters that have Masters example: Imagine at a table at the cafe and all of a sudden Alucard comes over to you and says "What will you order my Master?"

I think they were playing with the idea to have alternate themes future years.

But they're probably going to continue with maid cafe for now.

(I personally think a Dante cafe with men in Dante outfits serving pizza and strawberry sundaes would be hot but lets keep that separate from the maid cafe.)
I don't think its a good idea to mix themes. Maybe eventually a separate cafe going on at the same time as the maid cafe but not together.

I agree with Sucrose. Its hard to try to force conversations with people who just want to be left alone. It just doesn't work when they put up the "who the f' are you, go away" wall.

[xRaMeNx117]

Maybe they can come up with away to tell what people want for example: have a card on the tables that have choices like 1. I would like conversation 2. I want to be called master 3. Im fine the way I am thank you and customers circle what they want. And when the maids cometo serve they know what they and provide for them

[jemz]

Chun, Jun-Watarase, & Pyron,

Thanks for your input. As the Division Head of Extravaganzas for this year's Fanime, I'm still picking up feedback on all my departments, including Maid Cafe. I've been reading and following a bit of the discussion going on on this thread and it's been a bit educational. Tony, Sydney, and I will definitely talk about some of the opportunities to improve this year's event. I know that there was a lot of miscommunication that occurred last year and I am trying to prevent that from happening this year.

I can understand if you do not want to reiterate a lot of points brought up on this particular thread but please feel free to contact me at [email protected] for any thoughts or concerns.

I don't want you to think that Tony and I aren't listening to what's being said on the boards and/or ignoring the problems.

[AngelKawaii]

I read your posts in this thread and all I am getting is arguments and nothing else. So far the ideas are schedule and arguments about the cafe's name.
Since this subject seems important to you, since you do post a lot and respond alot. Why not puch to get thigns notice, go to different heads, spread word around, and eventually they will have to do something and use some of the ideas because so many people agree with them. So what if you get kicked off, that just means you gotta try harder.

Then you apparently didn't read my entire first post in this thread, nor any of the time I respond to someone asking about something directly. Nor were you around for the first run of threads.

I have read. The arguments are then only thing that catch people's attention.

A description of the cafe in the flier, etc. should be presented, so people SHOULD have a general idea of what they're getting into, trying it out or otherwise.

That totally reminded me of something. Whatever happened to the fliers? I know someone came up with them and printed them I think, but were they ever passed around?

That's an idea in itself. Make the fliers and pass them around the convention center. OOO!!! even better. Assign a maid or two from each shift to walk around the convention center dressed up in the maid outfits and pass out fliers for 15 minutes or so, then switch with another maid. That way word will spread, and those who have no clue what the cafe is will get an idea from the flier, which hopefully will have something on it that's not too terribly long that will describe what the cafe is.

To Sucrose: I know the feeling. I felt like people felt embarrased or shy or something when I tried to have a conversation with them.

[edendreams]

I loved the Maid Cafe' last year it was a wonderful idea that encouraged many of my previously friends (who didn't go last year) to come back this time.  I'm really looking foward to it again this year though I'd like to see a lot more japanese type desserts. It's nice to have the french flair but it's also very simple to make things like rainbow parfaits and I would really really like more tea options...


I didn't know if suggestions were meant to go here but at least I would like the event to return. ^-^

[Otaku_Princess]

I didn't even know about the Maid Cafe thing. XD  I might go see what it's like.

[L2D]

I went to the maid cafe last year, and it wasn't a pleasing experience for me.

Basically I got to order from a vendor of the convention, and have a maid handled that food and placed it on the table for me to eat. The end.
No maids chatted with us. I think I had more fun shouting at the group of Spartans walking by.

If I wanted that, I would have just stood in line for the vendor and bought it myself instead of standing in line for a maid cafe.

I think this was mentioned, but we say overpriced as in the cost of the food inside the convention, since it was food from the convention's vendor, being sold is more expensive than the food outside of the convention. I don't understand the whole official and unofficial part of the Maid Cafe, but if Fanime was sponsoring the event, they could have at least put some money into the food to make them cheaper, but then to the con it would probably be lost of money and no actual recuperation would occur (breaking even).

Dont mean to be rude, just wanted to let the staff know my opinion, and maybe use it to improve next year

[Tony]

... if Fanime was sponsoring the event, they could have at least put some money into the food to make them cheaper...

Actually, we are putting money into it. Lots, in fact.

Because we have to pay the vendor just to show up. So that they can make money.

Similary, the sushi stand that sells out every year? We had to fight for years to bring them in, so that they could make money.

The alternative would be to cater an official maid cafe event, in which case it would open for two hours and cost $30 for a salad  ;D

[L2D]

... if Fanime was sponsoring the event, they could have at least put some money into the food to make them cheaper...

Actually, we are putting money into it. Lots, in fact.

Because we have to pay the vendor just to show up. So that they can make money.

Similary, the sushi stand that sells out every year? We had to fight for years to bring them in, so that they could make money.

The alternative would be to cater an official maid cafe event, in which case it would open for two hours and cost $30 for a salad  ;D

That seems broken. Pay vendors to show up so that they can sell us food that cost more than food across the street, because its inside the convention center, while the con (fanime) are unable to do things due to restrictions, space limitations, and even city codes and all profits and revenue goes to the vendor or the convention rather than going to the con for future planning? Its a lose lose situation in my opinion. [or is this paying for licensing for them to be inside the con?]

Not sure the exact terms and agreements, but couldn't a vendor just rent several spaces in the dealer's hall and turn that into a maid cafe since as long as they have a business license and have up to date with all codes they should be able to sell food in the dealers hall (again, not sure what Fanime's terms and condictions are when it comes to the dealer's hall and artist alley).

[Tony]

[or is this paying for licensing for them to be inside the con?]

Not that I'm aware of... it's basically a "so they can be bothered" fee. Since it's something we're requesting, and not something they're doing on their own, it costs money. Another way to look at it is this: they already have food stalls in the dealer's room, so it's a bother for them to set up shop somewhere else, staff it, stock it, etc...

Not sure the exact terms and agreements, but couldn't a vendor just rent several spaces in the dealer's hall and turn that into a maid cafe since as long as they have a business license and have up to date with all codes they should be able to sell food in the dealers hall (again, not sure what Fanime's terms and condictions are when it comes to the dealer's hall and artist alley).

Nope...  :-\ Only the contracted vendor may sell food & drink on the premises. We had to be strict with kids giving out baked goods...

[PyronIkari]

Wrote a long post, decided against it, sending an E-mail.

But just to address some things.

Maybe they can come up with away to tell what people want for example: have a card on the tables that have choices like 1. I would like conversation 2. I want to be called master 3. Im fine the way I am thank you and customers circle what they want. And when the maids cometo serve they know what they and provide for them

If a maid needs a patron to hand her a card to tell her how to act towards him, then that maid isn't doing a good job at serving.

I have read. The arguments are then only thing that catch people's attention.

My arguements are about issues concerning the maid cafe, how it was being run, and what was being done correctly/incorrectly. It's not my fault people are only responding to "the arguements" and not the issue of the arguements.

That's an idea in itself. Make the fliers and pass them around the convention center. OOO!!! even better. Assign a maid or two from each shift to walk around the convention center dressed up in the maid outfits and pass out fliers for 15 minutes or so, then switch with another maid. That way word will spread, and those who have no clue what the cafe is will get an idea from the flier, which hopefully will have something on it that's not too terribly long that will describe what the cafe is.

Man hours/time. From what I saw and noticed, there weren't enough maids to even serve enought people/the level they should be if there were enough maids to send one to advertise.

To Sucrose: I know the feeling. I felt like people felt embarrased or shy or something when I tried to have a conversation with them.

Excuse the bluntness... you're not qualified to be a maid then. This is the goal and purpose of the maid cafe... the sole point of why they exist. Comfort. If they're feeling out of place or intimidated, then you're doing something wrong. I'm writing a huge thing to Julia about this, so we'll see what happens.

[edendreams]

hmm well i you guys are going to do the event again you can have me participate. I'd love to play a maid and interact with customers (my current job is already like that)

It was the irst year or the event so it's going to improve I think it was great how it was and I'd love to help out and get involved i you do it again

[Jerry]

hmm well i you guys are going to do the event again you can have me participate. I'd love to play a maid and interact with customers (my current job is already like that)

It was the irst year or the event so it's going to improve I think it was great how it was and I'd love to help out and get involved i you do it again

once we figure out a few more things with general things... we'll eventually have meetings.

we'll figure out how to gather a roster or a point of contact.

Thanks for your support!  :)

[AngelKawaii]

I have read. The arguments are then only thing that catch people's attention.

My arguements are about issues concerning the maid cafe, how it was being run, and what was being done correctly/incorrectly. It's not my fault people are only responding to "the arguements" and not the issue of the arguements.

That's an idea in itself. Make the fliers and pass them around the convention center. OOO!!! even better. Assign a maid or two from each shift to walk around the convention center dressed up in the maid outfits and pass out fliers for 15 minutes or so, then switch with another maid. That way word will spread, and those who have no clue what the cafe is will get an idea from the flier, which hopefully will have something on it that's not too terribly long that will describe what the cafe is.

Man hours/time. From what I saw and noticed, there weren't enough maids to even serve enought people/the level they should be if there were enough maids to send one to advertise.

To Sucrose: I know the feeling. I felt like people felt embarrased or shy or something when I tried to have a conversation with them.

Excuse the bluntness... you're not qualified to be a maid then. This is the goal and purpose of the maid cafe... the sole point of why they exist. Comfort. If they're feeling out of place or intimidated, then you're doing something wrong. I'm writing a huge thing to Julia about this, so we'll see what happens.

Excuse me for being blunt, but it sorta is your fault that they reply to the "arguments" only because you fire right back.

It was only an idea..and I think we had lots of maids, but not all of them were present at the same time, that goes to bad scheduling, not the maid's faults.

Do not tell people who is qualified to be a maid or not. Comfort is what we aim for, but there are people out there in the real world that do take a while to warm up to someone, some don't like people being there all the time either. I deal with that on a daily basis.

Anyway, is Julia the head-head person now, or is Sydney or are they both?(I'm getting mixed messages here.)

[PyronIkari]

Excuse me for being blunt, but it sorta is your fault that they reply to the "arguments" only because you fire right back.

Le sigh. Why do I bother trying? I reply back, but unlike the others I reply back with more reasoning and basis as too what I'm saying. I say "This doesn't work because of x and y it would never work due to x and this is how x works" and you guys reply back with "NO YOU!" I go "-_- Look, you are ignoring this because of this" "NO YOU!" It's not my fault you people refuse to focus on stuff.

It was only an idea..and I think we had lots of maids, but not all of them were present at the same time, that goes to bad scheduling, not the maid's faults.

Yes, and idea... and it was an idea that wouldn't work at the current state due to reasons I've stated. So unless the core problem is fixed first, this idea can't even be implimented.

Do not tell people who is qualified to be a maid or not. Comfort is what we aim for, but there are people out there in the real world that do take a while to warm up to someone, some don't like people being there all the time either. I deal with that on a daily basis.

Anyway, is Julia the head-head person now, or is Sydney or are they both?(I'm getting mixed messages here.)

So I shouldn't point out things because it hurts your feelings? Sorry, but have you ever applied for a job and got turned down, or not called back? Ever get your idea shot down? Get used to it, because it happens a lot, no matter who you are. You deal with it on a daily basis? Then show it and adapt, and reflect and what not. You don't force a conversation with someone.

Le sigh again. -_-

I should just stick with e-mailing Julia since this is rather hopeless trying to get people that don't want to listen to listen.

[Kazuko]

I really hope that the maid cafe does better for this year

@angelkawaii: Pryon does have a point about the whole unable to be a maid because of shyness. People have to overcome that when working with public, if you are shy then why are you working at a place with lots of people? People I met that were genereally shy (and i was shy too) had to get over that because really, shyness isnt gonna get you much anywhere in life or a maid cafe. He has a point maid cafes are why they exist is to speak and chat with a customer. You just have to practice not being shy talk infront of a mirror, try to speak with a small group, do breathing exercises WHATEVER you have to prep so you arent shy. its all about confidence  to break the shy bubble. x:

[Jun-Watarase]

I really hope that the maid cafe does better for this year

@angelkawaii: Pryon does have a point about the whole unable to be a maid because of shyness. People have to overcome that when working with public, if you are shy then why are you working at a place with lots of people? People I met that were genereally shy (and i was shy too) had to get over that because really, shyness isnt gonna get you much anywhere in life or a maid cafe. He has a point maid cafes are why they exist is to speak and chat with a customer. You just have to practice not being shy talk infront of a mirror, try to speak with a small group, do breathing exercises WHATEVER you have to prep so you arent shy. its all about confidence  to break the shy bubble. x:

I had trouble understanding what you just typed, but I hope you're not suggesting the maids to be more assertive and force themselves into talking with the customers.


What I think is, if you're interacting with a customer and somehow felt that you were making them feel awkward and uncomfortable, you're doing something wrong. If people had a better understanding of what a maid cafe is, then they should be able to expect that the maids will interact with them in some way. They should be able to enter a MAID CAFE and acknowledge the fact that they will be in the presence of MAIDS serving them-- not waitresses... maids. If you approach a customer, you should blend in with the maid cafe atmosphere and interact them while promoting a comforting space for them, which is what a maid does. Don't make it seem like you're being assertive and forcing them to talk to you, rather, make it seem like you want to make their experience pleasant while having them in your company. The cards... is also a poor idea. It makes the interaction impersonal, and using it only means that the maids lack the ability to approach customers well on their own.

As a maid working in the project, you should be able to approach customers. It's okay if you feel a bit shy, but nonetheless, you should still be able to do this. If you feel TOO shy, and are unable to do this, then you aren't qualified to play the role as a maid and will only end up making the customer uncomfortable as well. This isn't a personal statement, rather, general advice.

I thought I'd mention: Shyness in your professional role, you need to deal with it and be able to approach the customer. Shyness in your costume role, you can perform as an in-character maid and implement shyness as a trait of your character. But keep in mind that they're completely separate things.


As for taking advice, I wasn't rude in my tone while typing this, so I wonder how many people will listen. But even if I was rude, someone willing to take advice should be able to read the advice for what it is, rather than interpreting it as jargon that isn't worth listening to, simply because it was typed in a tone that they don't agree with.

[petdiekatze]

I had trouble understanding what you just typed, but I hope you're not suggesting the maids to be more assertive and force themselves into talking with the customers.


What I think is, if you're interacting with a customer and somehow felt that you were making them feel awkward and uncomfortable, you're doing something wrong. If people had a better understanding of what a maid cafe is, then they should be able to expect that the maids will interact with them in some way. They should be able to enter a MAID CAFE and acknowledge the fact that they will be in the presence of MAIDS serving them-- not waitresses... maids. If you approach a customer, you should blend in with the maid cafe atmosphere and interact them while promoting a comforting space for them, which is what a maid does. Don't make it seem like you're being assertive and forcing them to talk to you, rather, make it seem like you want to make their experience pleasant while having them in your company. The cards... is also a poor idea. It makes the interaction impersonal, and using it only means that the maids lack the ability to approach customers well on their own.

As a maid working in the project, you should be able to approach customers. It's okay if you feel a bit shy, but nonetheless, you should still be able to do this. If you feel TOO shy, and are unable to do this, then you aren't qualified to play the role as a maid and will only end up making the customer uncomfortable as well. This isn't a personal statement, rather, general advice.

I thought I'd mention: Shyness in your professional role, you need to deal with it and be able to approach the customer. Shyness in your costume role, you can perform as an in-character maid and implement shyness as a trait of your character. But keep in mind that they're completely separate things.


As for taking advice, I wasn't rude in my tone while typing this, so I wonder how many people will listen. But even if I was rude, someone willing to take advice should be able to read the advice for what it is, rather than interpreting it as jargon that isn't worth listening to, simply because it was typed in a tone that they don't agree with.

I agree with you. I did not go to the maid cafe last year, because the lines were just too long. This year I plan on participating as a maid, and I'm sure I could avoid the bubbles of shyness. I think what Kazuko was saying was that some of the maids were getting over their shyness and trying to break away from being shy by/while with the Maid Cafe.

[ph1shf00d]

It's funny how interested I am in this despite being such a tomboy XD

The Maid Cafe sounds like a lot of fun, although I'm a bit surprised at how heated the discussion got in this thread.

I wasn't at Fanime last year, so I had no idea how it went, and to be honest, I know very little about Maid Cafes to begin with. ^^;;;;  Still... a few ideas?

Since the space is supposed to be in a bigger room this year, that probably means more maids/volunteers would be needed.  Also, a big issue about the maids last year seemed to be their lack of "intimacy" with the customers.  It's been reiterated several times about how they're "maids" and not "waitresses," so for those who are familiar with maids/Maid cafes, I guess it's pretty understandable that a certain level of "cozyness" would be expected.  But of course, that doesn't have to include touching and stuff, if either side is uncomfortable with that.

I dunno if anyone brought this up (I kinda skimmed the thread...lolsorry =_=; )but maybe the Maid cafe could be divided up into several "sectors," each with a designated Maid(s).  That way, you don't have an understaffed group trying to cater to that many people at the same time.  It'd ensure a certain level of more personal attention to those who expect it, and might be a bit more organized and easier to handle.  If people want to switch maids, there could either be a rotation of maids (I.E- Maid 1 starts at sector 2, moves on to serve sector 3.  Maid 2 who was at sector 4 could switch into sector 2, etc.).  In addition, maybe there could be different Maid "types" serving the different sectors, so if a customer wanted a certain type of maid, they'd just have to sign up for a table in a particular sector.

Or assign a specific Maid to a specific table.  The problem with this, though, would be that we'd probably need tons of volunteers... D:  Fanime's a pretty decent con, though, so I'm sure there would be plenty of people willing to volunteer.

Out of curiosity, about how many tables were there last year?  And how many maids?

I'm browsing through some Japanese Maid Cafe sites right now and they all seem like pretty small, cozy facilities.  One site I saw had a roster of about 15 maids... Seems like a pretty decent number.  Of course, if there are going to be more tables/space, there's gonna be a greater need for more maids... Huu~

Anyway, I hope to see a new and improved Maid Cafe at Fanime this year.  Good luck to the staff working on it!