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PHOTO BY MEGHAN ERKKINEN

HUB OF ACTIVITY. The Hub – owned by The Harmon owner Pat Nagle – features artisan-style thin-crust pizza and other Mediterranean dishes, as well as large garage doors that open to a patio in nice weather.

The Harmon’s little brother – with a Mediterranean twist

By Meghan Erkkinen

For those of us who cannot get enough of The Harmon, owner Pat Nagle presents his latest project. The Hub, located at 203 Tacoma Ave. S., is a Mediterranean-themed hangout that features artisan-style thin-crust pizza and the Harmon Brewery’s five signature beers.

The Hub opened in March after Nagle and his business partner, Carole Holder, were searching for a new restaurant opportunity. Less than 48 hours after one location fell through, the owner of the St. Helens Café offered them the space.

“It just really all of a sudden made a lot more sense,” Nagle said. The space was smaller than the first one they had looked at, but still very large at 6,000 square feet. (The Harmon’s dining area is a similar size.)

The name of the restaurant came from a multitude of suggestions from the Tacoma community. Nagle was looking to incorporate the Harmon’s focus on outdoor activities, and particularly cycling, as the Harmon operates a bike club that works to raise money for the Mary Bridge Child Abuse Intervention Program.

One person suggested Wright’s Hub for the park that is located only a block from the restaurant. Nagle liked the “hub” part of the name, which he said not only incorporated the bike theme, but also suggested the restaurant would be a meeting place or a central location for Tacoma-area diners.

While the location had good bones, Nagle said, they did several renovations, adding a pizza oven, repainting the walls, and changing other aspects of the interior.

On the side of the building, located between St. Helens Avenue and Tacoma Avenue, there was painted the restaurant’s logo, of a woman holding onto a bike by its handlebars while her body flows behind her. The logo is inspired by an 1800s-era French bicycle advertisement, a copy of which can be seen hanging in the Hub’s women’s restroom. The Hub logo was also skillfully replicated for a large image behind the bar.

The front of the restaurant, facing Tacoma Avenue, is the bar area and is open to those ages 21 and up. It includes two garage doors, which take up much of the front wall, and open to a patio when the weather is nice.

The back area is family friendly and features both tables and a small living-room style seating area. Large windows open to a view of Commencement Bay. The whole restaurant is decorated with bicycle memorabilia, from photos to old advertisements.

Nagle said he and Holder tried to keep the menu simple. The restaurant’s signature item is the artisan-style pizza. The Hub offers a variety of unique and original pizza specialties, as well as many topping options for customization.

The menu also features sandwiches, pastas, burgers and some grilled entrees. Menu items are also available for pickup. Nagle said the restaurant will also soon be serving breakfast with a target date in August.

So far, Nagle said business has been going fairly well.

“Because of this we’ve really maxed out our brewery,” he said. “It’s really helped us accomplish one of our goals, to sell more beer by the glass.”

All five of the Harmon’s signature beers are sold at The Hub by the glass. But in spite of the connection to the Pacific Avenue restaurant, Nagle says The Hub is different.

“It’s a different menu,” he said. “It’s a different feel.”

While the business is doing well so far, Nagle admitted he and his employees have had to work for it. The restaurant fronts on Tacoma Avenue, which doesn’t have as much exposure as the adjacent St. Helens Avenue. He’s working to cater to the neighborhood – to the residents and employees at Tacoma General Hospital and neighboring healthcare clinics.

“I love the demographic here,” Nagle said. “It’s a little different than The Harmon. I think it caters to people across the board.”

His goal, as the business grows, is “to make it (The Hub) one of the fixtures and one of the choices of the Tacoma people and to have a consistent spot for good customer service.”

In the future, Nagle also looks forward to offering delivery services. And another restaurant? Well, nothing official yet, but Nagle said he thinks the perfect number for his company would be three.

The Hub is located at 203 Tacoma Ave. S. For more information, call (253) 683-4606 or visit www.theharmonhub.com.

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