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Service with a tear? MOS Burger branch says hello with tales of loneliness, sleepless nights

Casey Baseel Aug 18, 2014
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Among Japanese fast food chains, MOS Burger tries to position itself as being just a little more upscale than its rivals. Sure, the prices are a little higher, but the ingredients taste a little fresher, their customer service a little better, and if your order isn’t to go, they’ll serve your drink in a glass instead of a paper cup.

A lot of MOS branches even add a personal touch by putting a blackboard in front of their entrance with a new message written on it each day. The one in my neighborhood, for example, usually has some sort of seasonal or daily greeting like, “There’s a fireworks festival tonight. We hope everyone who’s going has a great time!”

But things aren’t so chipper in Kawasaki, where the staff of one MOS Burger have decided to use their board to let everyone passing by know about their physical and romantic ailments.

Back on June 23 last year, Twitter user Wataru Spica was strolling through Kawasaki when he noticed the following sign in front of MOS.

これ去年のだけど、川崎のモス危険なかおりする。
“@wataru_spica: 川崎のモスの看板、読んでるこっちもつらくなる。 http://t.co/u221FQEqnX” pic.twitter.com/QulWb9dSiH

— 小仏トンネル (@tkoymt) August 17, 2014

It reads:

“Recently, there are a lot of things I’ve been worried about, and it’s gotten to the point where I haven’t been sleeping well. Everybody, please take care of yourselves.”

In contrast, a typical, cheery MOS message board seen at a different branch recently says “It’s spring vacation, so a lot of grandparents are coming to eat with their grandkids, making the restaurant feel so sweet and warm.”

Aside from the concerning words themselves, one Internet commenter made the observation that the characters become increasingly small and indistinct as the message goes on. Whether it was the original intent or not, the message did garner some sympathy online, from the tender, “Hope you feel better soon,” to the harsher, “Dude, then take a day off!”

The messages aren’t signed by the employees who write them, so we don’t know for sure if the board placed in front of the Kawasaki MOS last Sunday is the work of the same individual or not. What we can say, though, is that it makes even less of a pretense about putting on a brave face than the sleep-deprived grievance from last year.

https://twitter.com/wataru_spica/status/500791780757872640

August 17’s message reads:

“Recently, I see a lot of couples on dates dressed in their summer kimonos, but I’ve spent every day of summer vacation sleeping or working, so it’s kind of hard for me to look at.”

This time, online opinions were split, with several people saying they’re not particularly interested in an update on the MOS employee’s relationship status.

“Scary.”
“Your diary is the place to write that kind of stuff. I think I’ll pass on eating at this branch.”
“What’s up with the negativity on the MOS board?”

Others, though, felt they’d found a kindred spirit.

“I don’t eat at MOS very often because it’s expensive, but I feel like we’ve got something in common, so now I want to go.”
“So you want to destroy other people’s happiness? I can understand.”
“Let’s all have a good cry together.”

We get that everyone has a bad day once in a while. We also understand that last week was the high season for fireworks festivals in Japan, which many people attend while wearing kimonos, and the sight of happy couples giggling and holding hands as they go off to make precious summer memories can be especially vexing for lonely singles. Still, we hope the Kawasaki MOS staff will forgive us if next time we’re in the neighborhood and hungry, we decide to go to a restaurant that doesn’t offer an order of gloom as an appetizer, or at least has an open kitchen where we can be sure no disgruntled employees are spitting in our burgers.

Source: Hamster Sokuho
Top image: Seesaa
Insert images: Twitter, Carview, Twitter (2)