The Kayabukiya Tavern isnât just another sake serving restaurant in Japan. What makes it special is its ‘special’ waiters. Well, it has a couple of monkeys as a part of its service staff. Yes, the owner of Tavern actually employed his two pet macaque monkeys to work in the restaurant as waiters. The monkeys, who can be seen wearing actual people clothes while at work are the biggest attractions of Tavern.
The idea is the brainchild of Kaoru Otsuka, the owner of the pets. He claims that he never initially intended to train the monkeys to wait tables. It all started when he once handed one of the monkeys a hot towel out of curiosity and the monkey cleanly gave the towel to a customer. The younger monkey that’s known by the name of Fuku-chan has the primary job of taking hot towels to customers before they order their sake, as is the custom in Japan.
Fuku-chan has been doing his job for two years now and the older monkey, Diat-chan, has successfully offered his services for several years now. One might suggest that hiring monkeys to do such jobs is not ethical. But the restaurant has been inspected by Japanese authorities to make sure that these primates are treated properly. What is more ensuring is that they are made to work only two hours a day.
As for the customers, they do not mind having the furry creatures as waiters. Some even say that they prefer them to the bad tempered human ones. Most customers are amazed by monkeysâ ability to serve them the right order and they also give them boiled soy beans as tip.
This restaurant has now become a popular destination for tourists, at least for the ones visiting the city of Utsunomiya. And the food itself is said to be well cooked and served. The Japanese restaurant owner Kaoru Otsuka is so impressed by the services of Fuku-Chan and Diat-Chan, that, now he is up with the task of training a group of three young monkeys for the wait staff. Kaoru Otsuka has found a clever way out to incorporate something unusual to highlight his restaurant and yet bear very low expenses for it.
