The highest school in Japan, the University of Tokyo. The sandwich chain “Subway” is open on the Hongo Campus (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo), which is famous for “Akamon”. It was popular for its limited menu with a large amount of roast beef, but the number of customers decreased due to the increase in online lessons and other factors caused by the corona. It was decided to close in February 2022.
However, there were a series of voices from university officials who were reluctant to close the store, and it was decided to continue business from spring. J-CAST News asked the store manager on March 22, 2022.
A specialty menu created from “Student Nori”
“Are you doing a shop?” During the interview, a student passing by in front of the store asked the person in charge of the subway. In late March, when the store was closed due to the spring break, the store was specially lit on the day I visited for coverage.
However, the store may not have been lit anymore.
Subway with 169 stores nationwide (as of March 30, 2010). Nine of them are on the university campus. One of them, the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering Building 2, opened in 2006. Since 2018, Satriare (Edogawa-ku, Tokyo), which manages restaurants in Tokyo, has been operating the franchise.
On the University of Tokyo Hongo Campus, where the Faculty of Engineering is located, various restaurants such as a cafeteria operated by the Cooperative, cafe chains such as “Starbucks”, “Doutor” and “Tully’s”, and the long-established Western restaurant “Hibiya Matsumotoro” founded in 1897 have opened. There is. Many “health-oriented” students come to the subway, which sells sandwiches made with vegetables, says the store manager, Takiko Matsumura.
The store has a specialty menu. It is a “destroyer” series with a large amount of roast beef sandwiched between them. This menu has an impression that is contrary to health consciousness, which means “destroyer” in English. How was it born?
“Destroyer” with 10 roast beef sandwiched (provided by Japan Subway)
“Stamp cards are distributed at the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering Building 2 store, and there is a benefit that one sandwich will be free when stamps are accumulated. One student who accumulated stamps at that time came to the store and the highest roast beef After ordering the sandwich, I topped it with roast beef. It was so big that the people and staff around me said, “This is amazing. Let’s sell it with a name.” (A spokesman for the Japan Subway)
A destroyer born from the “student nori”. At first there were only 10 roast beef “destroyer”, but then 15 “king destroyer”, 20 “god destroyer” and 25 “infinite destroyer”. Due to its visual impact, it is frequently featured in the media.
“Infinite Destroyer” with 25 roast beef sandwiched (provided by Japan Subway)
Corona, who was far from the students, decided to close the store for a while
Chairs are placed in the square in front of the store, and students are chatting. An engineering student who attended the subway told J-CAST News that “Talking with alumni in the open space in front of the store was a precious time in these days when there is not much college time. “.
Subway University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering Building 2 store. There is a square in front of the store.
The students who went to the store eventually left the campus and flew to society. “It’s not a conspicuous place like a normal store, so it’s more of a” part of the school. “The staff are older, so in a sense, it feels like watching over a child. So, you may be in contact with customers. “(Matsumura store manager)
The Subway used to be crowded with students at noon, but the situation changes completely due to the Corona disaster. Online classes began in the spring of 20 and the students’ feet were far from the campus. Due to the issuance of a state of emergency, only regarding half of the business can be done a year, including the holidays during long vacations.
“The liveliness of the old days has disappeared. Even if the store is open, customers do not come. Two years later, I got used to it. What will happen in the future, I can do it with this Or can we continue? There was a situation where we mightn’t do anything regarding it. “
In view of these circumstances, the operating company decided that it would be difficult to continue business. We decided to close the store on February 18, 2010, and posted a “Notice of Closing” in front of the store at the beginning of January this year. “It was sad and lonely that the stores I had worked for all the time disappeared. However, it was a painful part to continue to say,’I can’t do business, but there are still stores.'” (Same as above) )
The closing poster was spread on Twitter, and users who were fond of the store gathered voices such as “It’s a lie!?!? That’s …”, “Sad”, and “The engineering department without a subway”. At that time, a student of the Faculty of Engineering who heard the news of the closing of the store recalled that he was “very sad” in the interview, but he understood the management policy, “I thought it was unavoidable because there were few face-to-face classes.” Indicated.
“Future use” Student relief to continue business
After the store was closed, the store manager Matsumura said, “It’s sad that there is no place for lunch every day.” I heard from university staff that there are voices on Twitter that are reluctant to close the store. “I was surprised that it was talked regarding even in places I didn’t know.”
Voices from various places regretting the closing of the store. The operating company makes a decision.
“After it was decided to close the store, I received various voices. There is an aspect of running a store on campus, but there is also an aspect of” a store that is open for school. “Students, staff, etc. The decision was made with an emphasis on delivering lunch to various people. “(Matsumura store manager)
In late January, the notice of closure of the store that had been posted up to that point was removed, and a new “Notice of Business Continuity” was posted.
“We posted” Our store will be closed on February 18, 2022 “, but we would like to inform you that we have a good prospect of business continuity. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your patronage over the years, and all the staff will continue to devote ourselves to meet the expectations of our customers. “
A student of the Faculty of Engineering, who heard the news of business continuity, said in an interview, “I was happy. I will continue to use it.” Another student was pleased, “It was one of the motivations to go to school.”
After the spring break, business will resume on April 4, when classes begin. The store manager said, “April is the busiest time of the school. I want to make the store meaningful for those who have come to the school. Also, the members who want to liven up the store with us. If you are interested, please contact the store. “
Subway Takiko Matsumura, Manager of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering Building 2
(J-CAST News Reporter Shonosuke Sato)
