割った鍋
I love "HUB". It has a cheap British pub vibe, is easy to use, and you can drink whiskey at a reasonable price, which I like. However, there was no "HUB" in Kyushu for a long time. Originally, the founder of Daiei established "HUB" as a subsidiary of Daiei with 100% capital, but I was disappointed that they did not open a store in Fukuoka, despite being closely connected to Fukuoka by buying a baseball team and building a dome. I had been waiting, probably for about 20 years, thinking "I wonder if 'HUB' will open in Fukuoka someday," while gradually giving up. During that time, I could only use "HUB" in Tokyo and Osaka. Finally, in April 2019, I saw the news that "HUB" was opening in Fukuoka. I was deeply moved, but when I found out that the location was at the "Yafuoku Dome," I was disappointed. I prefer it to be in the city where I can casually drop by. However, I decided to go all the way to the dome. To visit the first "HUB" in Kyushu. On that day, a baseball game was being held, and when I arrived at the dome, there were many spectators. I made my way through them and looked for "HUB," and found the entrance facing the outer perimeter of the dome. I asked the staff standing in front of the escalator leading to the entrance if I could enter "HUB" without a baseball ticket. It seemed that there was an area in the store where you could watch the stadium's game, and I was told that you couldn't enter without a baseball ticket, but I have no interest in baseball. In the end, I confirmed that I could enter "HUB" even without a baseball ticket. The staff at the entrance welcomed me with a smile. I was asked if I had a reservation, but it was quite empty. I guess many customers make reservations to use the store. The interior of the store was quite spacious. The decor was like, yes, "HUB." There were many monitors, and usually at "HUB" they show soccer game footage, but here they were showing baseball game footage. Well, that's understandable since it's a store in a baseball dome. I finished my half pint of HUB Ale and left the store promptly. Unfortunately, this store was non-smoking. When I asked the staff if smoking was allowed before entering the store, I was told it was non-smoking, but I just wanted to use the first "HUB" in Kyushu and decided to enter with the intention of a short stay in advance. Why is "HUB" non-smoking? One of the good things about "HUB" is that you can drink cheap whiskey while smoking... but I guess it's complicated when opening in a commercial facility, and I decided to think that way. Besides, well, I heard that pubs in the UK are non-smoking too. So, the first "HUB" in Kyushu did not make me feel tearfully moved by opening. I'll continue to use "HUB" in Tokyo and Osaka in the future.