There’s one major point about me that my Crunchyroll readers and co-workers may know that others might not: I love collab cafés. I love them, I want to go to one, and I’m always slightly angry when I think about the fact that America doesn’t do them.

I’m sure someday I’ll go to Japan. And when I do, there will be at least six different collab cafés running at once. So I will get to do one . . . probably. In the meantime, my friend Ginger found me a very close second in Illinois. Not only did it scratch that very weird itch, it helped me isolate just why I love this ridiculous conceit and why I feel we need it over here.

What the heck is a collab café?

Even if you only know a little about Japan, you know that they are the supreme leaders of merchandising. From action figures and replica costume pieces to stationery and housewares, they make everything you can dream of for your favorite titles. Collab cafés are an extension of that.

The events usually run anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, either as an extended menu for an existing restaurant or as a temporary “takeover.” Collaboration menus include fancy desserts and drinks themed to a show’s characters, as well as entrees based on things from the show itself. Maybe one of the characters is famous for their homemade curry, or maybe a character is notorious for their love of crepes.

If the event takes place at an established chain, there might be official art of the show’s characters in the waitstaff’s uniforms. Either way, there will be new art, and it will be all over everything: coasters, place mats, posters. There will be acrylic standees and key chains of each character. You get the idea.

These collab cafés can be for a new show, an anniversary event, or just because. They’re everywhere in Japan . . . and nowhere in America.

Burger Time

With, perhaps, a slight exception.

My friend and collaborator Ginger, knowing of my love for collab cafés and my work for Crunchyroll, insisted we go to “the anime burger place” when I visited her last month. The place in question was Gabutto Burger, a locally-owned Japanese-style fast fast food place in Rolling Meadows, IL. They offer a wide variety of burgers, fry seasonings, and other goodies.

And it’s branded. Adorably.

This is a very small selection of the decor at their single location. Each burger type has its own little mascot girl, who also does double-duty on other machines throughout the restaurant. You can even pick up goods at the front counter featuring their various mascots, too.

Since it was my first time, I figured I should go right down the middle and order their #1 Gabutto Burger. After all, if it’s at the forefront of their menu, it’s clearly what they consider most representative of what they do. A side of fries and some iced roasted green tea came out to a decent price—not cheap drive-thru, but affordable for what it was.

The fries come completely unseasoned (no salt, even) in a paper bag. You season them yourself at the “Shaka-Shaka Station.” I went with a mix of garlic butter and cheese, but there’s much more to choose from.

The burger itself . . . guys, it’s hambagu. Like it’s literally a hambagu hamburger.

For those who don’t pay obsessive attention to Japanese food, this is a type of yoshoku: Western-influenced dishes with their origins in Japan. Hambagu is a hybrid of Salisbury steak, meatloaf, and childlike wonder. Gabutto serves one of these with cheese and burger fixings on their accurately-named “fluffy bun.” And it was everything I could have hoped for.

In Defense of the Collab Café

Sadly, we are probably never going to see companies go this hard for their brand in the West. Which is an absolute shame, because Japan is already demonstrating that our geeky endeavors are perfect for the idea. (The above image is from a Deadpool 2 event held at Okasa’s Colors Café.) The closest we’ll probably see is what Disney parks do for their own titles. And even then, Tokyo Disney still has us beat.

This kind of thing takes huge amounts of planning and dedication, but I really think the geek contingent in the West would—pun intended—eat it up. Imagine a pop-up Doctor Who event with all-ages drinks based on each of the new Doctors, a “fish fingers and custard” dessert, or 12’s Renaissance DUDE Roasted Chicken. Or a Steven Universe event inspired by the episode “Restaurant Wars”?

There’s infinite scope for the idea… and admittedly not a lot of assurance that it would succeed right away, since it’s so new to the US. But it would be a gorgeous new way to interact with our fandoms, as well as inspiring a whole different level of creativity in reimagining them.

If anyone anywhere sees a collab café start up, you know where to find me.

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