WATCH: Japanese restaurant ends bizzare service of paid slaps waitresses

• A Japanese restaurant offered paid slap service.
• The restaurant later said they had discontinued it.
• There is no certainty of the service in the future.

A Japanese restaurant made headlines recently on social media and news channels when it was found that patrons voluntarily get cheek slaps before being served.

Kimono-clad waitresses at Shachihoko-ya in Nagoya, Japan, repeatedly slapped a willing customer in the face with their palms for 300 Japanese Yen.

Customers must pay an extra ¥500 if they wish to get slapped by a specific staff member.

Both residents and visitors enjoyed the restaurant’s peculiarly harsh slapping service, and many even thanked the waitresses for the slaps, according to a news channel.

This is Shachihokoya – a restaurant in Nagoya – where you can buy a menu item called ‘Nagoya Lady’s Slap’ for 300 yen pic.twitter.com/19qPM1Ohac

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— Bangkok Lad (@bangkoklad) November 29, 2023

The restaurant did, however, proclaim that the slapping service had been ended on X, now known as Twitter, following the worldwide success of recordings showing the practice.

They stated on the microblogging site, “At this time, Shachihoko-ya is not providing slaps. We’re grateful for the attention it’s gotten today, but we can’t accept visits from anyone hoping to get slapped. Please be understanding before visiting, as we didn’t anticipate old videos to become so popular.”

When the contentious service was introduced in 2012, it brought in more customers and helped the establishment’s business recover.

The slapping was initially done by only one female employee, but as demand grew, management brought in more. It’s unknown if the service has been permanently suspended or if it will return.