in collaboration with a well known japanese coffee brand maruyama coffee, nendo has designed an unmanned cafe called ‘gacha gacha coffee’, where customers can part-take in a simple three-step process of brewing their own coffee. as japan’s birth rate and labor force is in decline, nendo saw the opportunity to introduce simple technology to not only cut labor costs, but also improve service quality in the cafe business. finished in mostly black and copper, the interior of the cafe showcases many of nendo’s original furnitures and light fixtures.
all images by nendo
located in the observation deck of roppongi hills, the gacha machines — designed to resemble toy capsule machines — greet customers with a variety of beans to pick from. next, the customer proceeds to the grinders where they can watch their beans fall in to the dripper with a flick of a button. the dripper and the cup are then set on the extractor where coffee is finally served.
the simplified operation at gacha gacha coffee allows customers to be more engaged with their coffee and also relieve stress from the frustration of having to wait. in short, the cafe is designed not to be completely automated but instead provide a ‘comfortable and peaceful time for both the customers and the employees.’
project info:
cafe: gacha gacha coffee
collaborating cafe: maruyama coffee
designer: nendo
location: roppongi hills, japan
