Butler Cafe?

[DivineChaos]

I know it's come into consideration before, but have any of the maid cafe participants or other involved staff considered trying a butler cafe?  Fanime has grown a lot since I started attending.  While I might not personally go to the butler cafe, friends of mine that have gone have shown interest. 

Am I the only one that might want to see this?

[PyronIkari]

http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,14137.msg376426.html#msg376426

I've spoken my perspective on the matter a number of times and personally I would never want to do it. You may convince someone us and the con to think otherwise but my stance is the same. Butler cafes cater to an extremely small demographic, 95% of which are female, and it's a very sexually oriented idea.

[Kite]

Then you should know like the many other times that this idea has been brought up will be shot down almost immediately.

Not to sound rude, but this idea really can't work due to many complicating matters which would take a while to explain them all.

[DivineChaos]

I read through that other thread.  I already understand what a host club proper is supposed to be like, and I'm not saying we make that.  I'm just suggesting that we entertain the idea of a butler cafe as it would be for Fanime.  As for the reasons, Kite, there may be some valid things, but if they amount to merely a little more work for staff for the trade off of more involvement and entertainment for the attendees, wouldn't it be worth the work?  As it's said, for fans by fans.  I take from that that the convention's primary purpose is to bring together people with a common purpose in, for lack of a better word, celebration for what they enjoy.  If one those things would be a butler cafe, again wouldn't it be good to consider it and, beyond that, check with the attendees that would be the ones that actual go to the event. 

For things that may be complicating creating a butler cafe, though, wouldn't many of those things apply to the maid cafe as well?  Yet we have a maid cafe.  The sole difference being swapping genders of the actual servers.

Also, if I sound harsh to staff, my apologies, but I want an interesting idea to be considered beyond just being humored.

[PyronIkari]

I read through that other thread.  I already understand what a host club proper is supposed to be like, and I'm not saying we make that.  I'm just suggesting that we entertain the idea of a butler cafe as it would be for Fanime.  As for the reasons, Kite, there may be some valid things, but if they amount to merely a little more work for staff for the trade off of more involvement and entertainment for the attendees, wouldn't it be worth the work?  As it's said, for fans by fans.  I take from that that the convention's primary purpose is to bring together people with a common purpose in, for lack of a better word, celebration for what they enjoy.  If one those things would be a butler cafe, again wouldn't it be good to consider it and, beyond that, check with the attendees that would be the ones that actual go to the event. 

For things that may be complicating creating a butler cafe, though, wouldn't many of those things apply to the maid cafe as well?  Yet we have a maid cafe.  The sole difference being swapping genders of the actual servers.

Also, if I sound harsh to staff, my apologies, but I want an interesting idea to be considered beyond just being humored.

My issue with this is that, the idea gets brought up hundreds of times and people don't know exactly what or why they're asking for it. I don't expect people to understand the logistics, budgeting, and work that it takes to put into an event like this, but my question is... seriously before you consider suggesting something, think about how and why you want such a thing to exist.

Swapping genders of the servers is your basis of this, rather all you provide. It kind of loses the point of "theme" if that's all their is to it. It wouldn't be a "butler cafe" any more if their is no role play in it. It is "Guys dressed as butlers acting like hosts, without trying to seduce you or take your money". If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me but that's all you're giving me to work with.

If anyone wants to suggest a butler cafe, that's cool with me, but make it worth reading. I've read hundreds of "You should make a butler cafe" suggestions before for many different conventions, but not once do they provide an argument or reason behind it.

Why do you think a butler cafe should exist?(Besides because we want hot boys to serve us).
How do we do this making it gender neutral where it is appropriate for all ages/sex/sexual orientation.

I will answer the most common answer to these now.

"It's not just about hot boys, besides, isn't the maid cafe the same thing? Just females?"
If you read my prior thread no. Maid cafes are about the service more than it is having an attractive female. It's about having someone play the role of your maid to feel comfortable with, to talk and converse with, and to share without fear of being judged(as long as you don't do anything inappropriate of course).

"Isn't the Maid Cafe geared towards men? The Butler cafe is the equivalent geared towards women!"
Again, if you read my other post, this is not true. Maid Cafes are open and equal and are not meant to be sexual. It's why the uniforms are very conservative(yes uniforms have to be okay'd as not being too revealing or overly sexual because that's now what we want). You can ask the numerous female attendees that visited the cafe if it was geared towards the males. While males may make something more of it, it's very gender neutral in how they act. Regardless if you're male or female, it's about the service and comfort you get.

Butler cafes, by definition are geared to be sexual. The purpose to build sexual tension, and this is something that I personally believe should not be part of Fanime as it makes it much more less family fun. We had Plenty of kids (ages 2-14) visit the cafe this past year and the maids got to play games with them and just play with them. The role of a butler is lost in that, and would be off putting for children to visit.

So feel free to persuade the convention and other staff members, but as someone who is well versed in maid cafes, butler cafes, host clubs, hostess clubs etc... it'll be extremely extremely hard to persuade me to be open to the idea.

Not impossible though, since I was against the idea of a maid cafe happening because I felt that it would be done incorrectly. I was open to the idea based on who ran it and the legitimacy in how it was run. I was right in my doubt the first two years, but when it was ran by someone that knew what they were doing and what a maid cafe is supposed to be, it went well.