Upon entering one of such stores, the customer is greeted with the customary "Welcome home, Master" (お帰りなさいませ、ご主人様!, Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama), offered a wipe towel and shown a food/drink menu.
Popular dishes include cakes (sometimes baked by the maids themselves), ice-cream, omurice, spaghetti, as well as drinks such as Coca-Cola, tea, milk or alcoholic beverages such as beer or, in some cases, even champagne.
While most cosplay restaurants and maid cafes cater mostly to men, there is also a type for women called the butler café (執事喫茶, shitsuji kissa).
The butlers in these cafes are well-dressed male employees and may wear either a typical waiter's uniform or even a tuxedo or tails.
[11] One butler cafe has its waiters cosplay as teenage schoolboys, in an effort to appeal to the fujoshi who enjoy Boys' Love.
Other themes include, little sister (妹, imōto), shrine girl (巫女, miko) or railway (鉄道, tetsudō) cafes/izakaya.
The theme has every maid assume a "tsundere" personality archetype wherein the servers in these cafes will often act rude or indifferent to customers.
[15] In December 2007, Royal-T opened in Culver City, California, and was featured in several magazines, such as Elle and the Los Angeles Times.