First permanent restaurant chain based on a videogame character

While there have been many pop-up restaurants to promote games over the years, Nintendo's charming pink blob Kirby received a permanent eatery in his name when the first permanent location for a Kirby Café opened at the Solamachi mall in Tokyo, Japan, on 27 September 2018. A second permanent location opened in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2019.

The Tokyo location first opened in 2016 as a pop-up location, before going on hiatus in 2017. When it re-opened in 2018, it was intended to be another temporary pop-up, but the popularity meant its open period was extended several times before officially being made permanent.

The second location in the Hakata-ku ward of Fukuoka was also intended to be a pop-up, before it, too, was kept open and then officially made permanent.

A third permanent location opened in Osaka, Japan, on 21 November 2024.

The Kirby Cafés are so popular that reservations have to be made weeks in advance. The menu items are all Kirby themed, with some even resembling him, or served in an "Inhaling Kirby Bowl" inspired by his signature move.