In Japan, there are hundreds of cafes where employees dress as Western-style maids, a tradition that goes back a century.
It became more popular over the past quarter century as cafes were incorporated into anime cartoons and video games.
Atlantans will get a chance to experience the fun when Orlando, Florida-based Mirai Maid Cafe comes to town for MomoCon’s 20th anniversary convention at the Georgia World Congress Center this Friday through Sunday. Mirai Maid will host nine pop-up shows offering cosplay, dance, food and drink.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
“A lot of people are attracted to the maids themselves,” said Robin Cox, who oversees Mirai Maid Cafe and had a retail version in Orlando for three years. “It’s based on the French maid concept, but each cafe has a different theme. Ours is cyberpunk.”
For an additional $36.86 with fees, MomoCon attendees can spend an hour at the cafe interacting with the performers, who dance to upbeat techno pop and serve Asian-themed snacks and drinks. There are three shows a day Friday through Sunday.
Cox and her colleague Vanessa Volz have hosted cafes at more than 25 different conventions since 2021. This will be their first appearance at MomoCon, which covers animation, gaming and comics. The convention has grown steadily over the past 20 years and is expected to draw a record 60,000 visitors this weekend.
MomoCon will also be Mirai Maid’s largest pop-up cafe to date, with a capacity of 144 attendees per show.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Chris Stuckey, co-chairman of MomoCon, said he’s always trying to add new and interesting elements to the convention as it morphs and grows.
“Our attendees love cosplay and Japanese culture, so this works well,” Stuckey said. “And this group has a good track record putting these cafes together.”
The add-on cost is necessary, he said, because of the drinks and food that will be included. “We also want to prevent it from becoming too popular,” he said.
Food options include onigiri (savory Japanese rice balls with tuna), ube waffles (popular in the Philippines) and cheesecake. Drinks include matcha latte with lavender foam, sparkling lavender lemonade and pea flower tea, which changes color from deep blue to rich violet when lemon is added.
Volz, who grew up in Atlanta but now resides in Orlando, remembers falling in love with anime cartoons on Cartoon Network. “I found them more interesting than American cartoons,” she said. “They have deeper meaning and I love the art style. And Japanese culture is beautiful.”
MomoCon is more family-friendly than other conventions, Volz said, and she is looking forward to attending it for the first time and bringing her own flair to the maid cafe. Volz, as Maid Nessa, is one of the performers and designs the choreography, blending K-pop and J-pop with a light show.
The core eight maid dance performers, who hail from Georgia and Florida and auditioned to join the crew, wear the same outfits. A separate crew of volunteer maids in different uniforms will prepare and serve the food and drinks.
“We get to show our true personalities,” Volz said. “Some are bubbly. Some are more cutesy. It just has to fit within the maid cafe standards.”
EVENT PREVIEW
MomoCon
Thursday-Sunday. $50-$105. Georgia World Congress Center, Building B, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd. NW, Atlanta. momocon.com.
Mirai Maid Cafe add-on cost, $36.86 after fees. Noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. eventbrite.com.
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