Queer, But Not Gay: Monkey Waiters

The Kayabukiya tavern, a traditional ‘sake house’ north of Tokyo has employed a pair of uniformed Japanese macaque called Yat-chan and Fuku-chan to serve patrons. Twelve-year-old Yat-chan is the crowd-pleaser as he moves quickly between tables taking customer drink orders. The younger of the two, Fuku-chan is quick to give the diners a hot towel to help them clean their hands before they order their drinks, as is the custom in Japan.
Yat-chan and Fuku-chan, who are both certified by the local authorities to work in the tavern are well appreciate by customers, who tip them with soya beans. ‘The monkeys are actually better waiters than some really bad human ones,’ customer Takayoshi Soeno said.
Tavern owner, Kaoru Otsuka, 63, originally kept the monkeys as household pets – but when the older one started aping him he realised they were capable of working in the restaurant. The monkeys work in shifts of up to two hours a day due to Japanese animal rights regulations. But the owner is hoping to bring up the next generation of monkey waiters, and is already training three baby monkeys to work as waiters.