The 85-year-old server was eager to kick off his shift, welcoming customers into the restaurant with a hearty greeting: “Irasshaimase!” or “Welcome!” But when it came time to take their orders, things got a little complicated.
He walked up to a table but forgot his clipboard of order forms. He gingerly delivered a piece of cake to the wrong table. One customer waited 16 minutes for a cup of water after being seated.
But no one complained or made a fuss about it. Each time, patrons embraced his mix-ups and chuckled along with him. That’s the way it goes at the Orange Day Sengawa, also known as the Cafe of Mistaken Orders.
With one of the world's oldest populations, Japan faces a pressing national health challenge in dementia. One cafe in western Tokyo is experimenting with new ways to try empower patients by hiring them to work as servers. https://t.co/hDmKAahMyl
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 19, 2023