FAQs
World Setting and Key Terms
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at-home cafe is a maid cafe theme park where guests can enjoy a unique world built around the concept of “Masters, Princesses, and Maids.” To bring this world to life, we welcome everyone with special expressions, performances, and playful touches. Step into this enchanting space and experience the world where maids exist just for you.
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At at-home cafe, guests become Masters and Princesses who are “returning home to the mansion.” The story unfolds as if the maids had always been waiting for your return, caring for the mansion in your absence. Every visit is a warm “homecoming,” where you can spend joyful moments with the maids.
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This refers to all guests who “return home” to the mansion. Even if you cannot visit often due to your busy life, rest assured that the maids are always protecting the mansion until your return.
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Maid characters serve their Masters and Princesses. Every maid at at-home cafe is blessed with a magical spell that makes them “forever 17 years old.” Maids also have different ranks based on their career stage, with each rank wearing distinct maid uniforms.
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Fairies are always by the maids’ side, helping them when needed. They prepare seats for Masters and Princesses, assist with hair and makeup, and even help with food and drinks. Each fairy has its own role in supporting the mansion.
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On your first visit, you’ll receive a Mansion Key (keycard) from a maid. From then on, you’ll use this key to “return home.” With more visits, your rank increases, unlocking special perks like discounted “rent” (entrance fees) and enhanced birthday benefits.
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This is the entrance fee to enjoy at-home cafe, lovingly referred to as “rent.”
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A maid’s special magic spell. With a chant and a sprinkle of moe power, maids can make your food and drinks even more delicious while filling your heart with energy and smiles.
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uests cannot extend beyond the 1-hour standard stay. However, if certain conditions allow, you may "loop," meaning you remain seated and start a new session without re-queuing.
Conditions for Looping:
All ordered menu items have been served.
No waiting guests, or there is enough space for all waiting guests, or staff determine looping will not disrupt others.
To request a loop, ask your maid at the time of payment. Staff will confirm and inform you if it is possible.
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For everyone’s safety and comfort, the following are strictly forbidden:
Touching maids
Waiting for maids outside
Talking to or following maids outside
Asking for personal info (real name, contacts, etc.)
Contacting maids outside official services/SNS
Private outings with maids
Harassment, offensive or sexual remarks
Entering while drunk
Moving seats without permission
Unauthorized photos, videos, or recordings
Defamation of the cafe, company, or staff inside the venue
Smoking in front of the building (area is smoke-free)
Not following the official maid cafe rules
Any nuisance to staff, guests, or neighboring shops
Violation may result in immediate expulsion and permanent ban.
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New Maid: Brown collar, learning phase
Apprentice Maid: White collar, frilly line design, assigned to a mansion
Regular Maid: 1+ year experience, ribbon necktie uniform
Premium Maid: Recognized for exceptional service, wears personal color ribbon
Super Premium Maid: Elite maid status
Legend Maid: Top-tier leader of at-home cafe maids
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Operation Maid (Ope-Maid): Handles operations like managing ”house rent”, guiding maids, assisting with photos. Cheki orders limited to “release days.”
Maid Trainer: Supports and trains new maids across floors. Generally does not take Cheki orders except during events.
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Premium Maids have their own personal color ribbons and buttons. You can check each maid’s color on the website or app.
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Hand gifts during visits: Staff check contents before passing to maids.
Wrapping paper discouraged due to inspection.
Letters: Accepted only via mail (short message cards may be accepted in-store).
Mail gifts to designated addresses (Akihabara, Osaka, Nagoya branches). Prohibited items include expensive goods (over ¥10,000), cash, food, medicine, hygiene items, contact info, and large or inappropriate items.
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Item description
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Almost every day, one of our maid cafe locations hosts special events. These include anniversary events for maids’ debuts, birthdays, and graduations, as well as themed cosplay days where maids wear costumes other than their regular uniforms, and mansion anniversaries that celebrate the opening of a cafe. If you’d like to enjoy a different atmosphere, try visiting on an event day.
🔗 Check out our event calendar -
Seasonal Events (New Year, Valentine’s, Easter, Rainy, Halloween, Christmas):
Special cosplay day
Trading cards for purchases over ¥3,000
Exclusive goods and menus
Anniversary & Birthday Events:
Limited cheki, laminated cards, special outfits, stage activities
Ticketed mini-events with limited seating
Ribbon Exchange Service, Manager Events, and More:
Special costumes, exclusive menus, and limited goods
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When rain is forecast, maids serve in pastel-colored rain costumes instead of the usual maid uniforms, lifting your spirits even on gloomy days.
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Surprise stage events such as mini live shows or rock-paper-scissors tournaments. These happen spontaneously, so encountering one is a lucky experience.
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This is what maids call their rest time.
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Originally the meals maids ate during breaks, Makanai is now also a special food menu item available to Masters and Princesses with a Gold or higher keycard rank.
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The cute term for “birthday,” inspired by the maid idol unit’s song Pipipi no Happy Birthday! Now birthdays are affectionately called “Pipipi.”
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During their early days, new maids don’t have a fixed mansion to serve in. They rotate across different maid cafe locations, learning from senior maids and guests. This rotating period is known as the Guruguru Period.
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When visiting your desired maid cafe location, please wait at the entrance or call out to a nearby maid or staff member. If there is a waiting line, join the end of the queue. Before entering, we will temporarily collect your "Mansion Key" (membership card), so please have it ready.
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To ensure safety, hygiene, and comfort for all Masters and Princesses, the following items are not allowed at our maid cafes:
Gifts intended for in-store setup or decoration for maids (this includes leaving gifts permanently at the Cheki photo space).
Balloons, flowers, or stand flowers meant for in-store decoration cannot be accepted.
In general, gifts or donations to the cafe itself cannot be received.
These rules apply not only on special service days but also on normal business days.
Bouquets may be accepted only after being checked by staff. Expensive items over 10,000 yen are not allowed.
Albums, message cards, etc., must also be checked by staff. Like bouquets, items exceeding 10,000 yen are not permitted. Please note: maids are not allowed to write in or sign albums prepared by guests.
Hazardous items such as party poppers are prohibited.
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Items such as glow sticks, penlights, and uchiwa fans are allowed, but only in reasonable sizes and quantities.
If an item does not fall under the above categories, staff will decide whether it is acceptable.
Usage Rules for Items
You may bring multiple glow sticks or distribute them to others, but always keep it within common sense and avoid disturbing others.
Maids and staff cannot hold or distribute items brought by guests. Cooperation between guests is required.
Maids and staff cannot wear or use glow sticks, light-up bracelets, or similar items provided by guests.
The cafe takes no responsibility for any issues caused by distributing glow sticks or similar items. Guests must resolve such matters among themselves.
Please take home any trash generated from item use.
Bouquets, albums, and message cards must always be checked by staff. Again, maids cannot add messages or signatures to albums provided by guests.
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Cafe Hours:
Weekdays: 11:00 – 22:00
Weekends/Holidays: 10:00 – 22:00
Last order: 40 minutes before closing
Shop Hours:
Weekdays: 12:00 – 20:00
Weekends/Holidays: 10:00 – 20:00
Cheki Types
Cheki Order Limits at at-home cafe
When you visit our maid cafes, there are specific rules regarding cheki (Polaroid photo) orders to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience for everyone
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2-shot Cheki (maid + 1 guest)
Group Cheki (maid + multiple guests)
Solo Cheki (maid only)
Unit Cheki (multiple maids only)
Option Cheki (multiple maids + guest)
All Cheki (all maids present + guest)
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Up to 2 maids × 2 Chekis per maid.
If orders finish within 30 minutes, additional orders are possible.
Adding guests requires extra orders (1 per added guest).
Adding maids is called an Option Cheki (with fee or coupon). Including all maids is called an All Cheki.
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Cheki (Maid & Guest photo): Up to 2 photos
Collection Cheki: 1 photo
Solo Cheki Ticket: 1 photo
Greeting Card Set with Solo Cheki: 1 photo
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Cheki with Maid A: Up to 2 photos
Cheki with Maid B: Up to 2 photos
Solo Cheki Ticket: 1 photo (must be with either Maid A or B)
Birthday Solo Cheki Coupon: 1 photo (must be with either Maid A or B)
Collection Cheki: 1 photo
Greeting Card Set with Solo Cheki: 1 photo
Note: Regular chekis can be ordered again if all photos are delivered before the last order cutoff (30 minutes before checkout). Availability depends on crowding and other pending orders. Please refrain from rushing maids.
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If you select 2 maids for cheki, the solo cheki ticket can only be used for one of those maids.
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Last Order: No new orders accepted within 30 minutes before leaving time. Maids will not remind you, so please be aware.
Maid Availability: Orders may be restricted if:
The maid has less than 15 minutes left in her shift.
The maid already has excessive pending orders, requiring more than 60 minutes of wait time.
Collection Cheki Limit: Each maid can accept up to 3 collection cheki orders. Beyond this, requests become tentative until confirmed by the last order cutoff.
Order Cancellations: If a maid’s orders are expected to exceed 60 minutes in total delivery time, some orders may be canceled. At least one cheki is guaranteed.
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Guaranteed: Each guest can always order at least 1 maid & guest cheki.
Limitations: Multiple chekis with the same maid or collection cheki orders may be refused depending on crowding.
Order Cancellations: If a maid’s queue exceeds 60 minutes, some orders may be canceled. At least one amusement order is guaranteed.
Timing of Delivery: Cheki may be delivered before your drinks during busy hours. Delays or early requests cannot be accommodated.
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Maid & Guest Cheki
Bronze, Silver: Limited drawing options. Max 2 pen colors. Content restrictions apply.
Gold & Above: Requests accepted. Unlimited colors. No content restrictions (time-limited).
Exceptions: Premium, Super Premium, and Legendary maids are not bound by the above rules.
Collection Cheki & Solo Cheki: Maid draws freely within 2 minutes. Content is left to maid’s discretion.
Prohibited Content: No obscene, violent, immoral, derogatory, romantic, or possessive messages (e.g., “I love you,” “Only yours”).
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Event maids use a special seal with date, your name, and a maid’s signature or short message.
Options like “no seal” are possible, but custom requests are not.
Rules may vary by event. Always check announcements in advance.
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For the first 10 days after debut, new maids cannot accept:
Maid & guest cheki
Collection cheki
Solo cheki tickets
Sign tickets or autograph requests
Goods-related bonuses
Exceptions: Birthday group photo and rank-up group cheki are allowed.
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No physical contact with maids
No touching clothes or accessories
No poses suggesting physical contact
No indecent, violent, or derogatory poses
No lying on the floor, extreme close-ups, or gravure-style shots
No selfies (selfie-style is allowed if taken by maid)
No hiding maid’s face or excluding guest from photo
No disrespectful gestures or poses
No requests against maid’s will
Any action deemed inappropriate by staff
FAQs
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A Maid Cafe is a uniquely Japanese themed cafe where guests are welcomed as the Master or Princess of a mansion and treated with exceptional hospitality.
Unlike regular cafes, maid cafes create an immersive, theme park-like experience, where our maids in adorable, kawaii uniforms not only serve food and drinks but also engage in interactive entertainment, such as playful table-side service, special performances, and unique spells like the famous "moe moe kyun" to make your meal extra delicious!
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No worries! We always do our best to make sure the maid cafe experience is fun for all our Masters or Princesses that decide to visit.
Whether you are a family, a couple or any interested guest, visiting us will be an experience to remember fondly!
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Not only are we the maid cafe where 'moe moe kyun' was born (now a beloved part of the shared maid cafe culture), but we also strive to make our cafes a safe space where both our maids and our Masters and Princesses feel at ease. We don’t engage in touting, have no hidden charges, and we always focus on providing the best possible experience!
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The best time to visit depends on what you’re looking for! If you enjoy lively crowds and special events, weekends are the busiest, though you might encounter longer queues.
For a more relaxed atmosphere or to catch one of our cosplay events, weekdays may be the perfect choice. No matter when you visit, we’ll make sure your experience is truly magical!
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You can find it on our app after 5 visits to any of our cafes or you can look up that maid's social media account where the maid will post their monthly or bi-weekly shifts!
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Maids work on a rotating schedule, so during your visit, most of the maids you interact with will be different, except for the one you order a cheki(Polaroid) with!
This way, we hope to give you the opportunity to meet various maids and fully enjoy your visit.
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You have the option to add more maids to your experience for an additional charge per maid! Additionally, you can choose to order a large-sized Polaroid for instead of the regular size!
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No matter what language you speak, our maids are dedicated to giving you an unforgettable experience! Each maid at “at-home cafe” receives specialized English lessons when they join, helping them connect with Masters and Princesses from around the world.
Even if there’s a language barrier, they always serve with warm smiles and attentive care, doing their best to make you feel at ease. While each maid’s language skills may vary, they all go above and beyond to ensure you feel welcome. We also have maids from diverse backgrounds and countries to provide the best service possible!
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Birthday Party at the Maid Cafe
When you celebrate your birthday at at-home cafe, our maids will prepare a special mini party for you! The event includes:
A song gift from the maid.
One of the following:
A birthday cake gift 🎂
A commemorative photo with all the maids present, taken in large-size Cheki format with a special original birthday frame.
The Cheki will be hand-decorated by the maids and given to you on the spot.
Each guest can enjoy one birthday party per maid cafe location.
To take a group commemorative Cheki with all maids, you must show the special coupon delivered to your membership app. Coupons are distributed per location.
While the default photo is in large-size Cheki, you may choose a regular-size Cheki instead (without the birthday frame).
Birthday Party Timing:
Available on your birthday, the day before, or the day after (3-day window).
Example: Birthday on January 15 → valid on January 14, 15, and 16.
Cost:
Free of charge. Only the standard admission fee applies.
How to Join:
Bring an ID (driver’s license, etc.) showing your date of birth and inform the staff at the entrance.
The birthday party will be held during your stay (within 1 hour).
No reservation required. For surprises, discreet consultation with staff is possible.
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[Birthday Month Special] AKIBA BROADWAY 2-Shot Ticket
During your birthday month, you can use a 2-shot photo ticket at AKIBA BROADWAY shows.
Valid once per birthday month.
Show your app coupon at the merchandise counter during the show.
[Crystal Key and Above Members] Birthday Solo Cheki Tickets
Members ranked Crystal Key or higher receive additional birthday Cheki benefits:
Crystal Rank: 5 Solo Cheki tickets (valid 3 days before to 3 days after birthday; max 1 per visit)
Platinum Rank: 10 Solo Cheki + Birthday Card tickets (same validity)
Black Rank: 20 Solo Cheki + Birthday Card tickets (same validity)
Super Black Rank: 40 Solo Cheki + Birthday Card tickets (same validity)
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When the next day’s forecast predicts rain, our maids switch from their usual uniforms to special pastel-colored rain costumes. Even on cloudy days, the atmosphere stays bright and cheerful!
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Occasional surprise events at the maid cafe such as:
“Moe Moe Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament”
Birthday mini-parties
Mini live performances
If you encounter one, consider yourself lucky!
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From your second visit, bring your Mansion Key to enjoy perks such as discounted admission and special rewards. Each visit earns points, leading to rank-up rewards like maid gifts and new services.
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For preschool children, we issue a Kids Card with special benefits:
Choice of 5 card colors (100 yen issuance fee)
Free kids drink per visit (orange juice, Calpis, milk, or barley tea)
One toy gift per visit
Birthday celebration with cake + group Cheki (valid day before, day of, and day after birthday)
Free admission for children with a Kids Card
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Direct handover of gifts to maids is not allowed. All presents must be checked by staff first, and wrapping will be opened during inspection. If approved, you may then hand it to the maid.
Gifts not accepted include:
Expensive items (over ¥10,000 in value)
Cash, gift certificates, vouchers, catalog gifts
Hygiene products (toothbrushes, sanitary products, underwear, etc.)
Food or drinks
Living creatures
Medicines
Digital storage media (USBs, CD-Rs, etc.)
Copyright-infringing items (unauthorized goods using the at-home cafe logo, etc.)
Letters (must be sent by mail only)
Other: used items, immoral items, oversized or heavy items, or anything deemed inappropriate by the floor manager.
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Only food photos are allowed, and you must first ask a maid for permission.
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The creation of original merchandise, whether using illustrations or photos, is strictly prohibited. Even if you plan to use the items only for personal enjoyment, there is no guarantee that they will remain private or not be transferred or sold. For that reason, at-home cafe cannot permit guests to create such items under any circumstances. Furthermore, once production involves any manufacturer, a third party becomes aware of the existence of such items, which may constitute rights infringement. Please avoid such actions entirely.
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Yes. Please check directly with the maids at the cafe regarding food ingredients and allergies.
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Yes, they are different types.
≪Solo Cheki≫
Available during special events. The featured maid prepares the cheki with decorations in advance. These are sold in limited quantities on a first-come, first-served basis.
≪Collectible Cheki≫
Available during normal visits. You can order a cheki with your chosen maid, and she will decorate it at your table.・I can’t log in to the app.
If you forgot your password:On the login screen, tap “Forgot your password?”
Enter your registered email address
Use the URL sent to your email to reset your password
If no email arrives, confirm the address and check your settings for ‘no-reply@membership.cafe-athome.com’. -
No. Please use nearby coin parking.
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Birthday coupons are distributed one month before your birthday and are not reissued. However:
Additional coupons will be issued for the new rank
Already distributed coupons will still provide benefits at your new rank
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From Crystal rank and above, the commemorative group cheki with all maids is valid for 90 days from the rank-up date.
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Yes, the Mansion Key is completely free! However, if it is lost or damaged and you need a replacement, there will be a handling fee of ¥1,100 (tax included).
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No, the Mansion Key can only be used by the registered owner.
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No, the Mansion Key has no expiration date. You can use it anytime, so please bring it along whenever you return to at-home cafe.
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Yes, if your Mansion Key is lost or broken, you can request a reissue at the mansion reception desk. A fee of ¥1,100 (tax included) applies.
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No, points from multiple Mansion Keys cannot be merged. However, you can register multiple cards to the same membership account, and additional cards will function as sub-cards.
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No. Certificates issued between 2007 and 2017 with stamp or slide backs are no longer valid. The transfer period ended in May 2018.
Guests with these certificates can receive a free new Key Card at any maid cafe location, so please ask a maid or cast member during your next visit. -
at-home cafe is not just a cafe but an amusement-style maid cafe. With many maids on staff and unique interactive entertainment, it’s more like visiting a mini theme park. The entrance fee (service fee) helps provide this special experience.
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You’ll have to ask them directly! You might hear the famous playful answer that was created from the famous idol culture of Japan.
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Those are Premium Maids who are also active as performers or talents. They do not belong to a fixed mansion and can appear across different maid cafe locations.
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Schedules for new maids, trainees, and regular maids are not published to prevent issues. You can check who is currently on duty via the Now on Duty page or their social media. Premium, Super Premium, and Legend Maids also share same-day duty updates only.
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No. Physical contact, including handshakes, is prohibited.
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Limited temporary storage is available but may not always be possible. Use coin lockers when possible. The cafe cannot take responsibility for lost or damaged items.
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Yes, if seats are available. During busy times, you may need to wait.
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We recommend including contact details in case of return mail due to insufficient postage. If you prefer privacy, use a double envelope so only the inner letter is given to the maid.
