North Beach Bar Refuses Mask And Vaccine Mandates, Just Plain Closes

Image: @NorthBeachJohn1 via Twitter

A curious marquee went up in North Beach last week that does not seem consistent with most San Francisco bars’ overwhelming support for mask and  vaccine mandates. As seen below, a sign at Grant & Green Saloon went up saying “Save small biz. We are not in this together. End mask mandates.”

Image: LittleWharfinAnnie via Reddit

But a Saturday Twitter post claiming to be the bar’s ownership doubles down even harder. The post includes a picture of their new sign, and says, “We are closing on Sunday 8-15. Masks are not stopping delta. Vaccines are not stopping delta. We can’t afford a door guy to check vaccine status. We can’t have live music with a mask mandate. It’s just a matter of time before every business in SF is bankrupt.”

We are closing on Sunday 8-15. Masks are not stopping delta. Vaccines are not stopping delta. We can’t afford a door guy to check vaccine status. We can’t have live music with a mask mandate. It’s just a matter of time before every business in SF is bankrupt. #northbeachsf pic.twitter.com/gQjca6tVx2

— NorthBeachJohnny (@NorthBeachJohn1) August 14, 2021

The sign itself simply uses the slightly more diplomatic language. “Denied Parklet, Closing 8 15th,” it says (referring to August 15.)

In a subsequent Facebook post, the bar clarified that the closure is temporary.

A few quibbles, though, namely over the statements “Masks are not stopping delta”  (yes they are), “Vaccines are not stopping delta” (yes they are), “We can’t have live music with a mask mandate,” (countless bars are managing to do exactly this), and “It’s just a matter of time before every business in SF is bankrupt” (business owners who don’t get their way have been saying this for like 100 years.)

In a Facebook post, the bar goes into more detail about the claim that “we are not in this together.” “Small business owners and service industry workers continue to pay the price while disproportionately exposing themselves to the risks. With no protections or financial compensation. If we continue on this path, there will be no jobs left in the service industry.”

After we published this post, the saloon posted the above post to Facebook, calling us out but declining to comment further when we reached out. “Until tourism returns and visitors come back to SF, most businesses downtown will continue to pay the price,” the post says. “SF needs a proper plan to get back office workers and tourists. That probably involves vaccine requirements and free testing. It doesn’t involve having phony mask mandates that don’t stop the spread.”

Food and beverage companies are harder hit than many other sectors, but ask a hospital worker sometime whether they’re “disproportionately exposing themselves to the risks” too. And the city has been offering financial aid to music venues and small businesses. We wish Grant & Green Saloon the best, and hope the establishment pulls through. But yeah, might be safer for North Beach in general if they just stayed closed for awhile.

This post has been updated with social media responses from Grant and Green Saloon.