i must be misremembering then, ig i miscontrued the fact that the new prologue is in a bar and the date with dave is also in a bar. Just replayed and yeah it is with Hazel first which i do prefer too, considering the game's name
The bar, I feel, is very important for Isaac, the player character's arc going forward in showing his life Pre-Jade City and understanding who he is and why he'd want to leave. And Hazel still shows up pretty early, just not the first thing :D