You can now rent llamas for your wedding, knit sweaters for chickens or participate in goat yoga—there are many creative ways you can enjoy leisurely activities with animal pals of all kinds.
But one cafe in San Francisco is raising the bar by allowing guests to dine with rats. Yes, the little beady-eyed furry things that you can usually find scampering in the dirtiest of places.
Why Rats?
The name of the cafe is pretty straight forward, The Black Rat Cafe, with the idea behind the establishment  to inform people that rats are, in fact, friendly little critters.
“This is an opportunity to remind people that, while rats were public enemy number one in the 1900s, today, they are more than acceptable as house pets and café guests,” Cole Kourvais, a spokesman for the San Francisco Dungeon, where the cafe is housed, told TIME.
Although rats were to blame for spreading the bubonic plague in San Fransisco in the early 1900’s, Kourvais said there’s no need to worry, as the friendly rats scurrying around the San Francisco Dungeon are all disease-free. They came from the Northern California non-profit organization Rattie Rats, which specializes in the domestication of rats.
There will be two opportunities to visit the Rat Cafe this summer: Â July 1 and July 8. The company stated they may add more dates depending on the popularity of this unique experience.
Dine With Rats
So for $49.99, you’ll not only be able to dine with rats, but you’ll also have the chance to participate in the San Francisco Dungeon’s live-action show,  which will highlight the little rodents. In addition, guests will have the option to interact with the furry little rodents for 15 minutes upon completing their meal.
“Guests can sip their coffee while seated at bistro-style tables, nicely draped with red and white gingham tablecloths… all while being surrounded by rats,” according to the event website.
The price of the tickets also include admission to the entire San Francisco Dungeon, which is a walk-through comedy show that is lead by professional actors and based on some of the city’s unique history and legends.
The San Francisco Dungeon itself is a visitor attraction that’s a “mix of live action, special effects, 360 degree sets and authentic storytelling,” according to its website.
Based on the pictures on the dungeon’s Facebook page, things tend to get a little creepy and/or spooky when you visit.
“The San Francisco Dungeon is a 60-minute journey through San Francisco’s past from the Gold Rush to Alcatraz. You and your companions walk through the Dungeon, moving from show to show, guided by our professional actors,” according to the website.
Check out their video to learn more.
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