A waitress has lost her job in Japan after she was found to have served cocktails to customers that contained drops of her own blood.
The woman had been employed at the Mondaiji Con Cafe Daku - which loosely translates to the 'Problem Child Concept Cafe' - in the Susukino entertainment district of Sapporo, Hokkaido. According to reports, the venue has a "dark" theme where the waitresses wear gothic make-up.
Issuing a statement via Twitter earlier this month, the bar-cum-eatery confirmed the unnamed staffer had been fired after management discovered she had been mixing her own blood into customers' cocktails.
The café condemned the former employee's actions as "absolutely not acceptable" and said it would close temporarily to ensure every drinking glass on the premises had been replaced.
A translation of the tweet, which was shared on April 2, said the waitress had added her blood to fruity cocktails known as orikaku.
"She was dismissed. Also, today's business will be closed to replace all glasses. Such an act is no different from a part-time job terrorism, and is absolutely not an acceptable act," the tweet read, while another tweet added: "We will hire a contractor to clean the store, change glasses, and dispose of alcoholic beverages that may have been contaminated. Once again, I am very sorry to have caused you trouble."
The café markets itself as a venue for "problem children" and features an all-you-can-drink menu for an hourly rate of 2500 yen (NZ$30), which is typical of many establishments in Japan.
It appears that fans of the concept café have mostly rallied behind the owner, offering words of support. Others have criticised the management as "sloppy" for allowing such a health hazard to occur.
Customers who visited the café and potentially consumed a blood-spiked drink are being urged to see their doctor for a medical test, to rule out the possibility of blood-transmitted diseases.
Speaking to Japan's Flash news site, Dr Zento Kitao warned that consuming other people's blood can be "extremely dangerous".
"Major diseases can be transmitted through blood, including HIV, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B and syphilis," he said, according to local media. "If there are wounds in the mouth, it is easy to be infected by blood transmissions."
People have reacted to the news with revulsion, with many branding the staffer's actions as "disgusting" across social media.
"That's what I call a Bloody Mary," one Facebook user deadpanned, while others have called for legal action to be taken against the woman.
According to The Independent, the waitress reportedly infused her blood into the drink at the request of a customer.
Japan is famed for its concept cafés that offer customers a unique experience: establishments such as cat cafés, snake cafés, owl cafés, game-themed cafés, and bondage-themed cafés have proved popular throughout the country.
It's not clear how the owner discovered the staffer had contaminated the drinks, or where the blood came from.
