“No one would ever build something like this. Only a madman would.” – Chairman Lee Eun-soon
From the outside, it doesn’t look like a cafe but an outlet mall. The high ceilings and chandeliers immediately catch your eye as you pass through the gold-plated entrance and enter the interior. The center of the building is open high, and the hotel concept gives the illusion of being in a luxurious hotel lobby.
A tour of the Positive Space 566 cafe in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Gurigura’ by Kim Gura and a wealthy man in May, is recently gaining attention in online communities such as Ephem Korea.
In April, the UK-based Guinness World Records listed Positive Space 566 as the ‘largest cafe in the world’ in the Guinness Book.
Positive Space 566 is a hotel-style cafe that opened last year in Gamjeong-dong, Gimpo City, with a floor area of 11900㎡, roughly equivalent to the height of a 9-story apartment building. The number of indoor seats is 2190, accommodating more than 2200 people. It is more than twice the size of the Al Masa Cafe in Saudi Arabia, which was previously listed as the largest cafe in the world with 1050 seats.
Crossing the first-floor lobby, the wealthy Kim couldn’t close his mouth, repeatedly exclaiming, “How is this a cafe?”
After ordering desserts and drinks, Kim was greeted with a neatly arranged view as he ascended to the second floor.
When Kim Gura said, “The chandelier is not the atmosphere that large cafes pursue. Looking at it installed, it seems that the president has a unique aesthetic sense,” a cafe employee standing next to him said, “The chairman said he made a mistake after building it so big,” which made Kim Gura’s praise pale in comparison.
When Kim Gura speculated, “It seems like a lot of money went in. It seems like it would have cost more than 10 billion won,” the employee hinted, “It’s several times that,” causing surprise.
Kim, who happened to run into ‘owner’ Chairman Lee Eun-soon, entering the store, asked for an interview, saying, “Many people would be curious,” and it was successful.
Kim Gura asked, “Did you spend close to 100 billion won?” and the answer came back, “Exactly 100 billion won.” Chairman Lee said, “No one would ever build something like this. Only a madman would,” causing Kim to laugh.
The art center on the 5th floor holds exhibitions of famous and new artists from home and abroad.
The cafe sells tea, coffee, and other beverages and desserts, wine, beer, cocktails, and other alcoholic beverages. The food menu includes wood-fired pizza, pasta, steak, etc. The prices are somewhat high.
A parking lot is outside and underground, and electric cars can be charged. Parking is free on weekdays, and on weekends or holidays, it is free for 3 hours, and then 1500 won per 30 minutes.
According to portal site reviews, visitors gave thumbs up for the variety of bakery items, no need for waiting, suitability for group visits, and pleasing to the eye.
On the other hand, they pointed out areas for improvement: the high prices, inconvenient movement, insufficient toilets, and a somewhat disorganized interior.
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