Maid Cafe 2011 feedback thread

PyronIkari · May 31, 2011, 04:31:09 PM

Hi hi, I'd like to hear feedback good and bad(mostly bad so I can improve for next year). Tell us opinions on the live, the cafe, the girls, the staff, etc. Tell me what I can do better, and what you want me to keep.

Please keep in mind, I only have power over the cafe itself, not the venue, the catering, etc. So please try to keep it on topic, but if you want to rant, about that stuff, I guess you can, just know I can't change it.

Kertus · May 31, 2011, 04:51:45 PM

Service was fairly quick, it was good to see the cafe mostly running even when you were away doing an event and that there are enough maids now for a stable amount of staffing. Good games as usual, also nice that the maids could bring things to the table again. As usual the food was so-so at times, no big complaints there, expecting more interaction with maid and less quality of food. Overall though good, when we went there was like no wait at all and we got an awesome maid ;D

Piccahoe · May 31, 2011, 05:07:06 PM

Although, I had only coffee, it was fun and entertaining. I went with a big group of eight. We talked and played a game, took pictures and had a memorable time. I didn't know what to expect because I have never done this before so I don't really have a negative feed back, except for prices, but, all food at the cons and hotels were overpriced. The coffee I had there was the best coffee I had tasted. It tasted even better than regular coffee at Starbucks.

fanartist · May 31, 2011, 09:19:27 PM

I went to the Maid Cafe on Saturday (I was dressed as a maid, hurr llD;; )

It was very entertaining! The chocolate mousse was very chocolatey llD and the maid who served us was very nice :3 She even came by to my table in the Artist Ally and commissioned me ^^

I have to admit I was a bit flustered when one of the maids announced to the entire cafe that I was going to play Hare Hare Yukai >>;;; But it was a good memory ^^;;

Actually, me and my friend were worried about some maids who are left alone with one guest. I thought about it and was wondering if it would be better to have two maids for a single customer so a maid has a witness when things get dangerously personal and/or newer/younger maids have someone to rely on for emotional support.

Just a suggestion ^^a

PyronIkari · May 31, 2011, 09:53:46 PM

Quote from: fanartist on May 31, 2011, 09:19:27 PM
I went to the Maid Cafe on Saturday (I was dressed as a maid, hurr llD;; )

It was very entertaining! The chocolate mousse was very chocolatey llD and the maid who served us was very nice :3 She even came by to my table in the Artist Ally and commissioned me ^^

I have to admit I was a bit flustered when one of the maids announced to the entire cafe that I was going to play Hare Hare Yukai >>;;; But it was a good memory ^^;;

Actually, me and my friend were worried about some maids who are left alone with one guest. I thought about it and was wondering if it would be better to have two maids for a single customer so a maid has a witness when things get dangerously personal and/or newer/younger maids have someone to rely on for emotional support.

Just a suggestion ^^a

Ah, the violinist! It was nice to have you.

The problem with having multiple maids per guest is actually a hard issue to deal with, but your concerns are known and thought about rather deeply. The girls' safety is the absolute first thing on my mind and by far the biggest priority I have. I have put a lot of thought into protecting from things like this, and we actually talk to all the girls about their safety and what to do in situations. So thank you for your concerns. They have training in what to do if they feel uncomfortable or if a guest does something inappropriate.

Eri Kagami · June 01, 2011, 12:08:39 AM

I really liked this year's maid cafe. The girls were very friendly and were fun to socialize with. I always loved the atmosphere of the cafe; very relaxed. The food selection was pretty spiffy. I didn't mind the prices. I was unsure if I could request another fill of hot water for my tea. The care keeps getting better and better every year. Even the food was pretty good. I was joking around with our maid (Michi) that I should donate some of my old board games to the cafe (ie: Guess Who, Candyland, etc). I liked how each of the girls have their only personalized maid outfit, but everyone still looked uniformed.

Great job, maids!

My only disappointed was I did not get to wear Akiha (Melty Blood) to the cafe. Maybe next year.

Amanojaku · June 02, 2011, 05:19:51 PM

I put my feedback in the other Maid Cafe topic, oops :X

Sen · June 02, 2011, 05:28:57 PM

I missed Maid Cafe this year!!! D:

As far as I know it's only open Sat and Sun right? What is the reason behind the limited number of hours?

PyronIkari · June 02, 2011, 06:16:28 PM

Quote from: Sen on June 02, 2011, 05:28:57 PM
I missed Maid Cafe this year!!! D:

As far as I know it's only open Sat and Sun right? What is the reason behind the limited number of hours?

Eh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.

Well, on our side, we'd die. We had 57 maids this year and a good amount of them worked 11-6 shifts(their choice). On average a girl worked about 4 1/2 hours each day and we weren't over staffed but we had a little more than was "the perfect amount" A lot of it is that I really want the girls to be able to enjoy the con and not be stuff working every single day. So unless I have like 80 maids(i'm really surprised we had 57 to be honest) it's would be hard to do. Especially with Friday being a school day and many of our maids still in high school.

The idea has come been bouncing around about adding an extra day for the cafe and we're not against it, we just don't think it's really doable yet. The cafe continues to grow though and one day when it grows enough we probably will.

Otakun · June 02, 2011, 07:18:56 PM

I went to Fanime just for the Maid Cafe this year, and once again it was worth it.

AldinaChan · October 11, 2011, 07:02:08 PM

I thought the maid cafe was great, even though it was my first time at fanime so I don't have anything to compare to, I really liked the maid I got. They were all really nice, and the pictures came out great. I went with my mom and her friend and the maid did a really good job of keeping us all entertained. The food was really good, a tad over priced, but still good. I was also wondering how old you had to be to be one of the maids.

PyronIkari · October 11, 2011, 08:42:06 PM

Quote from: AldinaChan on October 11, 2011, 07:02:08 PM
I thought the maid cafe was great, even though it was my first time at fanime so I don't have anything to compare to, I really liked the maid I got. They were all really nice, and the pictures came out great. I went with my mom and her friend and the maid did a really good job of keeping us all entertained. The food was really good, a tad over priced, but still good. I was also wondering how old you had to be to be one of the maids.

To be a maid you have to be at least 16 years old by the time Fanime starts.

egrrr · March 23, 2012, 11:23:00 PM

Since the maid cafe gets over hyped in anime, I believe it's a curiosity many anime fans want to experience. Saying that, it's sad to say that my experience was not as memorable as I would've liked.

Pros:
Got to experience the maid cafe.
Had an enjoyable time (due to the fact that the other patrons we shared a table with were really easy going).

Cons:
Waited almost a half an hour to be sat down (we were five people away from the register).
Food was pathetic (I know you have no say in this), the lemon pastry tasted stale and hard when I received it. The chocolate cake my friends got was sickly sweet, the vendor needs to understand that they can't be serving food to people that's been sitting in their fridge for over a week and try to pass it off as something that just got baked.
Would've liked something along the lines of actually tea or coffee being served by the maids.
The maid we got was a newbie and was really shy and would only sit and say small comments, it was obvious she forced herself to pretend to have a good time.
Too many rules when it came to taking a picture, due to the privacy the maids want to provide for the other patrons.

I personally felt cheated by this experience, other tables seemed to be ecstatic by their experience. We wanted to join in the fun as well but with overpriced stale food, shy maid and a long wait before being sat down it makes me wonder if I want to drop by the cafe again and not subjugate another large group of my friends to such a disappointing time.

UnderwhelmingHero · May 29, 2012, 01:08:37 PM

I personally had an awesome time at the maid cafe on Saturday. However, I do acknowledge that the food was less than perfect and overpriced, but you can't really expect too much. I'd assume that is more on the side of the convention center than the individuals who organized the cafe, so I can't really blame them for that.

Our wait wasn't necessarily bad, but I never considered myself an impatient person. I do understand that during the busier hours the wait can be a little much for people to handle. Maybe you should invest in more small tables? It would make it easier for more people to sit down without having to join up with another group and wait for a large table. I think smaller spaces also allow certain people to get more comfortable with their meal companions, but I also understand the more reserved individuals wanting larger space in order for them to attract less attention.

Our maid seemed to be in good spirits and that allowed us to have a natural conversation. Even if she wasn't really interested in the con adventures of me and my companion, she did an awesome job at faking it. We had a different maid when we came back on Sunday, and she was a little more shy and reserved. I could tell that she was trying her best to keep our attention, but she didn't feel as engaging as our previous maid. I suppose that ability comes with experience; so I would advise all of the new maids who aren't as skilled yet to keep on trying. People all have their flaws; we just need to work a little harder to get through them sometimes.

I planned to go to the cafe during the Bakemonogatari cosplay event, and the maids who were in costume seemed really cool. I was a little disappointed when I realized that they wouldn't be performing anything during the cafe, but I think that the "Fanimaid Live" event earlier must have taken a lot out for them. That being said, I think that separate cosplay events for Sunday would have been great too.

I think that the maid cafe was a highlight of my con experience. This was my first fanime so I can't really compare it to anything else. Everything has it's rough patches and scuffed edges, but I think that the work that was put into the maid cafe did refine to to a functional point. Perfection is impossible to achieve; I think that the organizers should keep on their path, they are doing whatever they can to the best of their ability.

I had fun, the cafe was functional. I suppose that's the best anyone can do.

Blargh. I just realized that this was for 2011. Believe it or not, I did not time travel to experience the maid cafe last year, this feedback was meant for 2012.