Wouldn’t it be an absolutely amazing experience if, in the real world, you could have a meal or snack together with your favorite Pokémon? That’s exactly the kind of experience we wanted to give Pokémon fans: a desire that inspired us to create Pokémon Cafes.
The first permanent Pokémon Cafe opened in the Nihombashi area of Tokyo – birthplace of the Pokémon Center – in 2018. The following year, a second Pokémon Cafe was created in Osaka. Since then, both cafes have attracted a steady flow of Pokémon fans of all ages.
Many Pokémon games and anime include scenes of people eating with Pokémon. To create a similar experience in the real world was our goal, to give Pokémon fans unforgettable memories that will stay with them for years to come. To offer them this “experiential value” – value based on real experience – we made every conceivable effort to make our Pokémon Cafes a delightful blend of the real and virtual worlds.
One aspect we devoted special attention to is Pikachu‘s “greeting time.” During their visit, customers are greeted by Pikachu costumed in one of three cute outfits: as a chef, a waitress, or a patissier. As the Pikachu “on duty” at any time is selected entirely at random, visitors to the Pokémon Cafe never know which Pikachu will be greeting them. So every visit is always filled with excited anticipation.
Surprisingly, there are actually very few places where Pokémon fans can go and be 100% sure of meeting Pikachu. It doesn’t necessarily happen at other Pokémon events, and even at other character cafes, visitors aren’t guaranteed to see their favorite character every time. So being absolutely sure to be greeted by Pikachu at the Pokémon Cafe is a rare and always enjoyable part of every visit.
Another aspect we took special care with was creating a menu completely in keeping with the Pokémon world that fans know from our games and anime. In developing the Pokémon Cafe menu, we partnered with SLD Entertainment, Inc. Through close collaboration, together we devised menu items meticulously conveying the Pokémon worldview and the special traits that define each Pokémon integrated into the menu.
A good example is the Pokémon Cafe’s “Mixed Rice” offerings created in the image of Eevee. Here, the main item is complemented by side dishes depicting Eevee’s various evolutions. Another menu item meriting special mention is the selection of “Pikachu and Best Friends Forever Curry Plates.” The curry dishes come in three varieties, each with a different “best friend” of the protagonist appearing in the video games Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Green Version: Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. The excitement that game players experience when choosing a partner in their virtual adventure is recreated when making a choice among the three “Pikachu and Best Friends Forever Curry Plates.”
While on one hand the Pokémon Cafe’s “Grand Menu“ includes the most familiar Pokémon such as Pikachu and Eevee, other menu items put the spotlight on other Pokémon. The “Colorful and Assorted Tatsugiri Pressed Sushi Set,” for example, which is featured as a “Special Menu” item, contains a variety of pressed sushi depictions of Tatsugiri. Each serving comes with a wafer showing one of Tatsugiri’s 14 different sounds, chosen by staff completely at random.
One of the Pokémon Cafe’s most phenomenal menu offerings is “Choose Your Pokémon Latte.” Here, the visitor is offered a choice from among an astonishing 818 different Pokémon to be created in latte art. The selection currently includes all Pokémon featured by the video games Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, and more and more will be added as time goes by. This remarkable item is intended to please every visitor, from casual Pokémon fans to the most avid fans of all.
To make all visitors really feel like they have entered the realm of Pokémon, meticulous attention is also paid to operations within the cafe. Staff members share complete knowledge of the concepts and background behind every menu item, so they are able to explain why a particular Pokémon was chosen for a given item. On bringing an order to the table, staff will also offer Pokémon-inspired greetings such as “Enjoy your adventure with Pokémon!” or “Be careful not to awaken a napping Pokémon!” In ways like these, all visitors are made to truly feel they are sharing space with Pokémon within the Pokémon realm.
The Pokémon Cafe is always filled with visitors of all kinds: fans taking selfies with their favorite plush or acrylic stand brought from home, couples on a date, friends just having fun together, three generations of family members on a memory-making outing, visitors from abroad, and more. What brings us greatest pleasure is seeing when visitors notice one of the many special ways we created to please them – and especially when we see them taking photos to post on social media. Then we know we have succeeded in our Number One aim: to make the Pokémon Cafe a very special place where everyone can become enchanted and enthralled within the Pokémon world.
In the years ahead, we will continue our quest to create even greater “experiential value” at Pokémon Cafes for all Pokémon fans.
