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| - The concept is there, but the execution falls quite short.
Cafe:
Lots of cafes/coffee shops have a fairly distinct style of decor: farmhouse, shabby chic, modern, industrial and so on. I don't know what Cat Cafe Mad is supposed to be. It's full of messy-looking, colorful, unorganized clutter. It's kind of like someone purchased the cheapest, grubbiest stuff they could find at a garage sale.
There are several signs taped to the walls, written in colorful markers. There seem to be several different logos of Cat Cafe Mad throughout the place and on its website. The branding and marketing don't seem thought-out, and my overall first impression was weird.
I was not impressed with the couple who runs the cafe. The man was chatty with our group, but then when his wife had a problem with the credit card machine, he acted very angry and curt with her. His demeanor toward her in front of customers seemed very unprofessional.
I also noticed some unclean practices. I saw the man wipe the top of his head (no gloves) and immediately return to making crepes. He did not clean his hands after touching his head. I'm not a professional cook, and I don't cook for the public -- but I don't even touch my hair/head while I'm cooking at home. I admit I am a total germaphobe, so perhaps I'm overly sensitive to this.
The coffee drinks were quite yummy, on a positive note.
Cat portion:
I've been a cat lover and owner my whole life, I've volunteered at several animal shelters for 15+ years, and I sit on the leadership team of a statewide animal adoption group. In short, I know animals. Having said that, I felt bad for the cats at Cat Cafe Mad. They seemed tired and uninterested -- almost like they were overwhelmed with so much attention from people all day.
The cat area was actually quite clean. I didn't notice much smell of litter at all. The furniture seemed really worn and grubby. Also, I'm not sure what all the paintings were on the wall -- trees and plants and things. The decor seemed like a preschool. Maybe the cats like the paintings.
This experience at Cat Cafe Mad was just weird. I wish this business the best, but I will not be going back.
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