If you can't get enough of Pepper, the odd-looking humanoid robot often found lurking in SoftBank shops, now you can visit a cafe staffed by an army of Peppers. There's a crew at the cafe's reception desk to greet you, and individual Peppers at most tables to take your order and make you feel at home, assuming your home happens to be filled with resident humanoid robots.
As the cafe's website explains, "Pepper PARLOR is the only place in the world to offer a glimpse at an exciting future in which humans and robots work together." Pepper is joined on staff here by three other types of robots, called NAO, Servi and Whiz.
The Peppers take orders and interact with customers - chatting, playing games and taking pictures. NAO is a humanoid dancing robot who shows off his moves on a platform at the center of the cafe, every hour on the hour. Servi and Whiz are more machine-like in appearance, carrying out delivery and cleaning tasks.
In addition to coffee, the cafe serves both sweet and savory waffle dishes. Savory toppings for the waffles are quite varied - foie-gras mousse with home-made granola; green shrimp curry; Tasmanian salmon with cream cheese - while sweet variations include strawberry fondue; caramelized banana with peanut butter; and fresh mango with almond jelly.
There's a gift shop selling branded merchandise should you want a souvenir of your visit.