LOVE this place. Last time the opening acts and the main comedian were super funny. Our waitress was awesome. We had no problem fulfilling the 2 drink minimum but didn't feel pressured for anything more. It's run by real people and not a big management so it feels like family. Wish more businesses could keep that vibe. It's affordable and super convenient . Looking forward to the next time! read more

Jay Mohr my favorite comedian. $30. Two drinks $23 required + tip. Opener, setup (Bob), closer doors open at 615pm for the 7pm show which started about 7:15pm and ended at 8:30pm. There is a 9pm show too and its first come first serve seating assigned by the staff and doors open at 8:30pm for the 2nd show. They take your temperature and check id's. Priscilla was awesome as a server! read more

We paid cash over 100 dollars but we had to use our card in the beginning. The next day our debit card was charged. Called and they said the manager will call us back. That never happened and we tried calling back but no luck! Felt so ripped off...never going back! read more

Great place, but god, why do you hire a doorman with an IQ of a door? The dude cannot do any simple sales transactions and makes things more complicated than they should. It's also ironic that the person has zero sense of humor. read more

I've had this place bookmarked for months... so I finally dragged my girlfriend here yesterday for a "Best of San Diego" show, and although we did laugh here and there... I was very disappointed. First, I couldn't really find parking except near VONS, which will tow you if you park there for the show, so I parked down the street at the place we ate dinner at? Second, the Yelp check-in deal went pretty smooth with no issues. Obviously, there is the 2 drink minimum per person. Here's what we ordered, rounded up to the nearest dollar. - 2 Crystal Geyser water bottles - $4 each - Mai Tai - $9 - White Gummy Bear - $9 - Something Lemon Drop Martini - $11 The Mai Tai and Martini were pretty strong... so definitely can't complain too much because it helped when the awkward jokes were rolling. The Gummy wear was extremely delicious, but not as strong as the previous two drinks. It's a little tough to explain... but I thought comedians are supposed to get funnier as they get closer to the headliner? I felt like 3 or 4 out of the 12-ish comedians that went on were actually funny. As a stand up comedian, I think you have all of the time in the world to rehearse and plan your jokes and punch lines... a lot of the people on stage just started winging a few jokes for the first time, and they even admitted it in the middle of their set... very, very awkward. My girlfriend seemed to like a few more of the people who went on, but even after 2 1/2 drinks, I caught myself finding my Facebook news feed more interesting. If you want a real laugh, look up "National Comedy Theater" in San Diego... that's definitely a blast and will have you "ROFLMAO" all over the place. read more

The Comedy Store - Stage! - Comedy Clubs Near Me - La Jolla, California

I watch a show here every 2-3 years or so, and I always have a great time. Tickets are pretty cheap, $20 a person. Street parking only. The place is small, fits 100-200 people snugly. If you're not sitting in the front as a couple, then you're sitting w/ a group of 4 around a small cocktail table. They only serve popcorn and drinks, so eat beforehand. Depending on their experience, the comics are really funny, or only kind of funny. You just gotta roll with it. Two things are certain though: 1: If you're easily offended, this place is not for you. 2: If you're sitting in the very front, you're obviously leaving yourself open to improv jokes from the Comics. I wouldn't sit there and talk, or ignore the Comics. They hate that, and they will clown on you in front of everyone if they think you're being rude. read more

I want to love coming here. Great performers, great location, affordable. But the incompetent manager and poor customer service make it extremely hard. We went to a show last week and even though it is cold weather outside for some reason the A/c was blasting and it was freezing inside! It was so uncomfortable it was hard to enjoy the show because of the temperature. I asked the server if she could change the temperature a little and her response was "It's always freezing in here!" A few other customers mentioned how cold they were too and no one cared to turn the air off! Also the server was way too busy to have the whole floor to herself! It took 30 minutes after the show was done to close everyone out. We were all waiting for our tabs and freezing! She never once apologized to anyone. The manager watched her struggle trying to close everyone out and never once helped her out or came to talk to the customers! She never came back to our table and when we finally went to find her she told us she lost our credit card and then just walked away! The manager acted like he didn't care. He never apologized he just said he would comp our tab and walked away! Well since he never asked for our name , obviously our tab never got comped and we ended up with the charge! We don't even know what we were charged for since we never saw our tab that was supposed to be comped! We also had to cancel our credit card because they "lost it". No apology or anything!!! Unbelievable! Too bad it was such a bad experience. A caring and competent manager that would have helped his employee out and communicated to the customers at all would have made it so much more enjoyable! I really hope they get a decent manager in there! read more

Go somewhere else!!! We will never be back to this place again. Two drink minimum and the drinks were nasty at $12-18 per drink. They served stale popcorn for $5.00 no food at all and some of the worst comedians I have genuinely ever seen! The chairs were taped and we felt cramped sitting up front. I have to also point out that one of the comedians used make a wish foundation an organization for terminally I'll children as a joke and said "he had wished he had a disease so he could go to cool places too". Distasteful in my opinion. I overheard a mom as we got up to leave the show tell the comedian that she was hurt by his comments as her daughter was a part of make a wish and his reaction along with his colleagues were absolutely uncalled for and vulgar and beyond unprofessional. The group of comedians lacked any empathy altogether for the mother. I assure you after seeing this my husband and I won't be back! read more

Had a blast, laughed my ass off, I do believe the waitress took to long for the second round of drinks. Toward the end I had to pee but didn't want to get up and miss anything. Anjelah Johnson is amazing and the made the inconsistency of the waitress meaningless. The meet and greet was well worth it. read more

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Well, had kind of an embarrassing moment last night at the Anjelah Johnson show. Bought Tix a couple months ago, invited a buddy and forgot about it. We showed up, stood in line for 45 mins and when we got to the box office the guy scanned my Tix and said "these are for LAST Friday..." FML We stood at the bar had a mule and tried to figure out what to do. I approached the guy working in and around the box office, explained my mix-up and he said he couldn't promise anything. We finished up our drinks as the last of crowd was seated. After about 10 mins, the guy came over, told us to get in in line and we were seated stage right, 2 rows back! I'm so thankful for the help, understanding and professional way they handled my mistake! Thank you for for the exceptional customer service! I will never forget that show read more

The Comedy Store - Comedy Clubs Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Typical comedy lounge. Dark. Small tables. Potent drinks. Hit or miss depending on who is performing but usually an evening filled with lots of laughter is involved. A nice change from the typical weekend plans every once in a while. read more

Finally got the chance to check this place out. A friend had free tickets with the mandatory purchase of 2 drinks (not limited to alcohol)...winning! Our waitress was great. Kind of bummed there wasn't a food menu. Only drinks. At least I didn't see one. The atmosphere is like any ol comedy club...nice, with gross bathrooms. What is with that? I guess they figure...you're here to laugh, not pee. Or maybe both, but in your chair only. I don't know. Get up at your own risk. The market on the west coast doesn't seem to be as great as the east, but *shrugs* whatever. This particular night I thought the openers were way better than the headliner -- he'll remain nameless, you don't need it. Overall 3 stars 'cause it takes guts to get up there, our waitress was attentive, and these days...laughter is priceless. Comedians are beautiful gifts to the world. read more

I've never felt so compelled to write a review in my life... Last night I purchased 2 tickets to a show ($40) and was turned away at the door by the alpha doorman. He said my Maryland ID was not authentic and needed another form of ID. I am 34 years old and don't carry 2 forms of identification with me!! Especially to a comedy club! This guy pushed me to my limits so I left and tried to call the ticket office for a refund. Well the guy who answered the phone decided to try an amateur comedy routine and kept putting me on hold to f*ck with me. If I owned this venue I would immediately fire the doorman. What benefit is it to employ someone who intentionally pisses people off, steals money from patrons, and keeps money from being spent in the club? That guy is worthless...and so is the management here. read more

Drinks were slow but the comedian at the end was good. All in all a great venue to go out have fun. relax and laugh!

The bouncer at the club was pretty rude to our group. Disappointing because this was my first comedy show.

Came here the other night with a group to see Kill Tony Live and I had a really great time. The comedy club itself is well decorated and the AC was cranked which I appreciate. I only had bottled beer so I can't say if the drinks were well mixed or not. As for the staff they were all kind and friendly EXCEPT for the door man. Wow. The door man is literally the most unpleasant bridge troll. How does this guy still keep his job here? He is the like the gestapo of checking IDs and yelling demands at people as they enter the building. There's a huge difference between being stern and being an actual asshole. He's like a hot head mall cop with a superiority complex. It's such a bad look for the Comedy Store. He's there every time I go to a show, and I always hope he isn't there when I walk up. Honestly Comedy Store, the world is filled with people who want a job, y'all should consider hiring someone who acts like he mildly enjoys his. read more

After weeks of aggravating lines, irritating traffic and preventing myself from going postal, The Comedy Store was an amelioration to the stresses of the holiday I love so much. The shows run approximately two hours with the first show starting at 8pm. The entrance fee is $20 on a weekend with a two drink minimum. The drinks can be pricey but consistently potent. As attendees are being seated my friend, Lou, who is Tom Waits esque provides the pre-show entertainment. I recommend that you ask to be seated further from the stage if you are sensitive in nature. It never fails that a comedian will pick out someone seated up front. Some of the comedians have made appearances on Comedy Central. Some are locals, such as my hilariously seductive friend, Vicki Barbolak (www.vickibarbolak.com). The shows never disappoint and for 2 hours of an evening, you can relish in the relief of laughter. read more

I went there and I had a great time. I don't think the crowd was very good because the comics were bombing. If there were more people there and if it wasn't a sunday night, I think they would have been better. We got a lot of entertainment for 5 bucks. A bud light draft is 4.50 and a vodka is 6.50. The chairs are not very comfortable. If you sit in the front row you can expect to get some attention from the comics. I love comedy and I had a great time. Some people in the crowd didn't have a good time though. The 2 couples up front got up and left after a while because they were getting picked on by multiple comics. They don't serve food, go down the street to Don Carlos Taco shop, its awesome read more

The performers were good , but you would think that a place that is supposed to make you feel good and have a good time would have a Positive Patty at their front door greeting & checking IDs. They have some jerk at the door who thinks he's a bad ass because he gets to check IDs. I saw him get into a few arguments with people wanting to get in . I came here for my work holiday party and he was extremely rude to my group of girls . We told him we would not be coming back and he said "Good" So guess what ! We won't be back and I'll give my money to the comedy palace in Clairemont next time . I'll assume he's probably a family member to the owner because scrolling through some other reviews it looks like he's been an ongoing issue . He's attitude reminded me of Frances from the movie Pee Wee Hermans big adventure. A complete spoiled brat read more

Great prices, great comics, friendly staff and so much more. The lighting was good (not too dark, but not bright), tables and seats were clean, and the service was prompt. We were very happy with this place. Parking: do not park at Vons Heckling: not allowed, and remember if you sit near the front, or under a light, the comic can see you (i.e. pick you out and crack a joke or two). Menu: no food, besides popcorn and there is a two drink minimum and you can order non-alcoholic beverages. Seating appears to be first come, first served/seated. read more

This review is for the doorman who is a complete douche. It's really too bad as the venue is great, and the rest of the staff is nice. He decided to turn away a large group of my friends because one of them didn't have a passport accompanying two other forms of identification she provided. I've been coming here for years and it is no way to treat loyal customers. They lost a lot of revenue that night, and all for a tiny man with big ego on a power trip. I mean it must be exhausting to fake deep voice and try to look intimidating while doing NSA-worthy ID check at a club... I've seen him treat other people rudely before, and judging by other complaints here, I'm not the first one to comment on it. Dear Comedy Store, how about you put a real bouncer with a sense of humor at your door, that treats people with respect? Until then, I'll pay for my laughs elsewhere. read more

After a very tedious work week, my coworkers and I were excited to get tickets to Whitney Cummings 9:30 show. Whitney was of course on fire...and so were my pants, shirt and jacket when the waitress spilled hot cocoa all over me, and others at the table!! She eventually (30 min later?) brought out a second one. NO APOLOGY, NO RUNNING TO GET NAPKINS or towels, no offer to comp it. And when the bill came she had charged the two-drink minimum to my card...It GETS EVEN BETTER!! When we asked her about it, she stated WE had spilled the drink on HER. Pretty amazing skills, since we were SITTING behind the table! The manager was very apologetic and agreed to comp the bill, so I'll be watching my card statement to make sure it happens. In the meantime, I get that anyone can have a bad day on the job, but this waitress was completely in the wrong, had a bad attitude, and showed very poor customer service. If it were my club, I'd be looking for another waitress.... read more

We are here at least once a month. Place is legendary and always filled with the best comedians in the world. The staff and crew make the place feel like home. Always a fun vibe. Fun for just about any kind of mood you're in. Drinks are A+ as well. read more

Almost always good comedians and some good laughs. 2 drink min pp standard and you can get non-alcoholic Beverages. The only bad thing is the bouncer who takes his job way too seriously. read more

The Comedy Store - Good Comedy Club. Only bad thing is the bouncer, he's less than friendly and takes his job WAY too seriously. - Comedy Clubs Near Me - La Jolla, California

The comedians are fantastic! Almost always absolutely fantastic! However this review is about the store and the person working the front entrance tonight was an complete jerk to basically every single person in line. If Covid-19 hasn't taught us all to be kinder to each other than something is seriously wrong. For no reason at all, the man working the front entrance tonight was rude and nasty to basically everyone. Please have him get an attitude adjustment or please hire someone kind to work the front. The comedians and the patrons deserve that! read more

The bouncer was kind of a jerk. My two friends and I were there to see Fortune Feimster on a Saturday night. My license had expired a week earlier and he didn't want to let me in. I'm 43, my friends are 43 and we all LOOK 43. He was busting my ass for no reason, and it was my first time there. Based on his treatment, I'd definitely think twice about returning. The two drink minimum basically makes the price of a $20 ticket go up to at least $30 depending on what you order. read more

Great venue. Get there early if you want a good seat. We were first in and first seated. We sat next to the stage and it was an awesome experience. read more

Picture it: The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend+family in town=free babysitting My husband and I went to catch their 8pm show. There were 12 of us in the audience (all couples). Once comedian even joked about how this must be a match.com setup or something. There were about 5 comedians. Some were just getting their routine down so you had to support them, some were just terrible, some tried but you could tell the audience wasn't really into it. I felt sorry for the comedians since there were only 12 of us..and one was a heckler who was actually warned to shut his mouth or they would throw him out. 10 dollar per ticket, 2 drink minimum...not all that bad. We would definitely pick a better night to go though. read more

I came here on local's night (Wednesdays and Thursdays) and upon arrival found out there's no cover with a yelp check-in! yayy yelp! I've only been to comedy shows where it's one artist, and comedy clubs with a few artists with longer sets, so this was definitely a change. There must have been about 10 different artists with 5-10 min shows. They were all pretty funny as each of their acts appealed to different age groups, backgrounds, etc. We had a ridiculous heckler in the audience that kept asking questions and talking back. She eventually started smoking and then threw up on one of the staff members upon getting kicked out. Definitely made the experience! p.s. two drink minimum read more

Came to the Comedy Store to start the New Year off with a few laughs... So glad we did! The lineup was killer (see photo of the comedians), purchasing tickets online was a breeze, wait staff was friendly, beer was cold... What more could you ask for? If you're hungry, don't expect anything to eat here! They only serve popcorn. If you're coming here the assumption is that you're coming for the comedy... As it should be. Seating is a bit cramped though... We were sitting to the side of the stage and the tables/lighting could have been 1,000 times more comfortable/better, but whatever. All in all, a great night out! read more

The Comedy Store - Here's the comedian linup for 1/2/2015 - Comedy Clubs Near Me - La Jolla, California

RECOMMENDATIONS: Weekday shows are hit or miss and can be almost brutal sometimes but if you are on the mailing list you can go to those shows periodically without having to pay the cover. There are also BoGo deals for late shows and coupons in the Reader so you can get in the door for less than the $20 per person....the two drink minimum is, however, unavoidable FOOD/DRINK: They have no foodz so I usually hit up the Prep Kitchen or somewhere before the show. The drinks at the Comedy Store are pretty stiff but also pretty expensive and not that big. I kinda wish they would remodel and upgrade so they could have the bar open during the day and not have to make all their money from the hours of 7:30 to 10:00 PM. Giving a little leeway on how much they have to charge to get in and how much the drinks cost. I doubt that will happen any time soon though looking at the broken stained glass over the center of the seating area that hangs precariously over the patrons brave enough to sit beneath it. SERVICE: A majority of the staff are up and coming comics who trade their time taking tickets, seating, busing, etc. for stage time so they aren't always the best at customer service but they try. The actual 'hired help' are the cocktail waitresses and the bartenders. They are all very nice and do the best they can to keep the drinks coming without interrupting the show. No complaints about the service but no real accolades either. LOCATION/DECOR: I have always gone late so parking at the far back end of the Vons parking lot has never been a problem but don't take my word for it because it DOES say that they will tow you. The interior is like most comedy clubs "black" Black walls, dark carpet, black tables and chairs, Oh, and the chairs suck BTW. The tables are small and the seating is really strange (standard for comedy clubs though). If you go with just one other person you have the choice of A: Sitting in front or behind that person on one side of the table. B: Sitting across a table from the person you are with and very close to the strangers behind you who will end up sharing your table. C: Sitting close together at the back part of the table with strangers sitting right in front of you and sharing a table....any choice you make it will be a little bit uncomfortable. It is not the worst comedy club I have been to but I do think Diego deserves a better venue, or at least a face lift for the existing one, its in the center of La Jolla. They do good talent there because of their sister location in LA that started the careers of countless (now world famous) comedians. I will continue to recommend this place until something better comes along that can book the same quality talent. read more

Funny how so many of the negative reviews are about the doorman. We didn't notice anything unusual about the one we saw when we went on a Saturday night. They were impressively efficient about getting the crowd in, and I was happy that parking was relatively easy. That said, they were almost a half hour late starting the show, and the bathrooms are the most run down I've ever seen. There are big holes and pits in the tile and the toilets are like, shaky on their foundation. The rest of the place is older but doesn't feel that run down. It was really odd. The service was ok. Places like this are always slow. Overall, an ok option for comedy if there is someone good (my husband said they rarely have bigger names so he stopped getting their mailing list). Glad I heard about Nikki Glaser on the radio. It was a great show! read more

Compared to Cobb's in SF or even the Improv in Irvine, this place has a way to go. I understand the finances of comedy and live music venues when you only have a limited time to generate revenue, and it's stressful herding people around, but that's the job. Went to the Saturday late show (9:30), my suggestion would be that when you print on the ticket "9:45 showtime, Doors at 9:15" it would be nice if you OPENED THE FUCKING DOORS at 9:15!! It was a pretty warm night (for San Diego) and humid as hell, so I really didn't like arriving at 9:10 and having to stand outside in line until 10:00 to get in. Some of us have plans after and the venue delaying the timeline an hour sucks. Hey, maybe let us in and we can spend some money? It was just annoying and ruined my mood for comedy a bit. Someone else in line said it's pretty common. Anyway, once we got in, at least the A/C was (kinda) on. Place is pretty run down with the expected bad carpet and torn & worn seats that get uncomfortable after 2 hours. Some dude strumming guitar that sounded like he got raped by the Dave Matthews band and needed to vent and lament about it musically. Service was very good and I always feel bad for the servers having to enforce the 2-drink minimum on cheapskates. "I don't want another drink." "Well, it's a two drink minimum, ma'am." "OK, I'll have a water" Enjoy that $9 bottle of Arrowhead, cheapo. You can sip it on the drive back to East County. Drinks about average for live music/comedy - $7.50 for a beer, $10.50 for a mixed drink. Hey, $25 for the ticket and a $25 bar tab is a pretty good deal for a Saturday night out. La Jolla parking sucks - DO NOT park at the Von's. Apparently they will joyfully tow you. So, I would go back, but only to see someone I really liked. read more

I love comedy. Unfortunately this place let me down. I forgot my license and presented my veterans card at the door. I am 43 with a beard and the door guy Steve gave me a hard time. Luckily I had a pic of my license on my phone. Then we get sat at a tiny table with a strange couple because the show was sold out. The only food they had to offer was popcorn. And our first round of drinks came out super late. Ryan Sickler gave a great show, as did Josh Nelson and Rafa. It's a shame the rest of the experience was so sub-par. read more

If I could give this place a -5 stars I would. Let me begin by saying I have gone to this comedy store at least once a year since my 21st birthday. Last night was my 40th birthday and it will be the very last time I step foot in this place! To celebrate my birthday my husband bought 14 tickets to the comedy store to see Dean Delray. After the fees he dropped $300.00 to go to this show. We called ahead and they told us to arrive between 9:15-9:30 to be seated because we were a large party. We arrived a few minutes before 9:15 and were greeted by the rudest door man I have ever encountered. Poor guy had "little man syndrome"! He had zero personality and zero customer service skills. I honestly felt like he didn't know he worked in LaJolla at a comedy store. After making us stand in the drizzle for over 30 minutes they finally opened the doors at 9:45pm for the 9:45pm show. Needless to say they were running late. The seating was awful. We were all packed in along the side of the stage. I tried to make the best of it. After all my husband payed $300.00 for this treatment. Once the show started we were enjoying the comedians. The 3rd comedian was pretty funny and out of the blue the little door man got into my face and told me I was laughing too loud and he could hear me on the other side of the room. (Trust me this was mistaken identity) I quickly told him I heard him and he needed to get out of my face. After this I felt very uncomfortable and uneasy. Afraid to laugh at any jokes because I didn't want to be kicked out on my birthday! I had only 2 drinks and was not heckling or being disrespectful to the comedians in anyway! Dean Delray came on and was very funny so I started to let my guard down a little (Drinking water mind you because this place had gotten the last of my money) when a different guy came up to me and told me I needed to stop with my side conversations because it was distracting to the other patrons. I was completely dumbfounded. The other patrons were my friends whom my husband had bought and payed full price to go. I asked him to get out of my face. After that I lost all interest in the show and just sat there waiting for it to be over. I asked the waitress if I was in anyway distracting to the comics and she said no. I told her I would like her to get her manager because I wanted to discuss my treatment after the show. She said ok. I told her how rude the bouncer was to me and how he completely ruined our night. She replied you wouldn't be the 1st person to complain. That speaks volumes Comedy store you have a bad apple. As I was waiting for the manager I spoke to the comedian that was performing when the door man came and talked to me. I asked him if I was in anyway a distraction to his performance. In which he replied no. I told him what was said to me and he said what??? Us comedians want you to laugh at our jokes. I replied with a thank you. I would like to say my experience with the manager was helpful but it wasn't. It was a waste of time and he just sat their listened to me and it was clear he just wanted the conversation to be over. It was if he had, had this same conversation many times. As I was leaving the door man was combative to me and condescending. I will never go back. The most aggravating part was on Friday I received an email from the Comedy store for by 1 ticket get 1 free. Which would've saved my husband $150.00! After the terrible treatment you would think the manager would've compensated my husband in some way but no. It was a ripoff from the start. Do yourself a favor and save your aggravation and go somewhere else! read more

The Comedy Store - The ladies waiting in the drizzle - Comedy Clubs Near Me - La Jolla, California

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One of the best comedy clubs in the US (and I have been to too many to count). I have been to this particular club over 50 times and they have a great bar, excellent wait staff, some of the best comedians touring the country and a bouncer with a sense of humor. Local talent gets a stage and nationally recognized talent comes back for more. The staff knows how to handle difficult situations as well like medical emergencies and obnoxious hecklers. Great club. read more

Love the comedy store! Always fun and the drinks are strong! Get there early to get a good seat!

My family and I have been here to see shows like 6 times this past year. Every single time has been a total blast. The servers are quick, the drinks are strong & the comedians are hilarious! Last night was no exception. Both comedians were so funny I had mascara running down my face. That's my first time seeing a female comedian live and she was so damn funny I may have peed a little! Not joking... she could have been the main show! But when Orny came on stage... omg I Never stopped laughing once. This guy is absolutely great! He's MEAN... but frickin hilarious! Lol jk He is a must see! I definitely recommend coming to a show here at the Comedy Store in La Jolla! I have never once been disappointed & never once seen a comedian that wasn't funny. read more

We always have a great time. Love the drinks and popcorn. So far my favorite is the pomegranate martini. You can order bottle water, hot tea, coffee, or soda as your two drink minimum if you don't want alcohol. All the comedians we have seen have been so funny. Most recently saw Gina Brillon and she was fabulously funny. This is a great place for date night. read more

Who doesn't love good comedy? Go here. It's a great time. 2 drink minimum. I usually go nights where I don't know the comedian and always love the 3 in the lineup. read more