Instant noodles are often the lifeblood of people on a tight budget, or the default food of those who just lack the necessary cooking skills. It’s cheap, easy to prepare and generally satisfying.
So when a shop starts to exclusively serve instant noodles at four times the regular price (roughly 200 yen or P87), one has to wonder, “What’s the catch?”
Here it is: customers get to chat with idols while their instant noodles “cook” for three minutes, reports RocketNews24.
An Akihabara shop called “Noodol Cafe” is pioneering the concept. Up-and-coming idols or “idol eggs” chat with customers for approximately three minutes because that is the standard waiting time for instant noodles to cook after pouring hot water. Noodol is a combination of the words “idol” and “noodle.”
Customers can opt for two plans: the 800-yen plan allows them to pick which idol to talk with, while the 500-yen plan will get them a random idol.
Once the noodles are done, they are then carried off to an eating area manned by a regular staff.
The idea might sound ludicrous but, to idol fans, the offer is actually a good deal. During idol handshake events, fans only get a few seconds to interact with their favorite idols after spending thousands of yen to get the opportunity to do so. Compared to 800 yen for three minutes, the latter’s a steal. Alfred Bayle/JB
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