Joan is inspired to found the Satisfaction Café after conversing with Tomoko, a young woman she meets in Japan. Tomoko works at a host bar. In Japan, particularly in large cities such as Tokyo or Osaka, individuals can go to bars to converse with a trained host or hostess. Traditionally, these establishments have catered to businessmen and featured a male clientele being served by female hostesses (who are often young and beautiful). The rise of hostess bars may be traced back to geisha culture in Japan, in which highly accomplished courtesans entertained their clients by dancing, singing, and playing music. In the latter half of the 20th century, establishments catered to a female clientele also appeared, featuring handsome male hosts. The two types are sometimes differentiated as “host bars” (featuring male hosts) and “hostess bars.”

Host and hostess bars are intended to provide an opportunity for entertainment, leisure, and the possibility of flirtatious banter, but are importantly not intended as a site of sex work. The businesses are regulated and regularly inspected for evidence of sex work occurring on the premise. However, sexual relationships do sometimes develop out of encounters between hosts/hostesses and their clients. Host/hostess bars are intended to operate as profitable businesses, and there can be pressure on clients to spend heavily and sometimes beyond their means. In recent years, there have been reports of host/hostess bars coming under scrutiny for unsafe or predatory working conditions, and exploitation of customers. Significantly, Joan adapts the model of a host/hostess bar into a café space, where alcohol is not served and individuals primarily gather during the daytime. She also focuses on the conversational aspect, eliminating some of the more sexually charged aspects of the Japanese model.