Friday News Roundup: Brunch spot apologizes for asking police to leave & Looming parklet fines stir panic
Hey there, San Francisco.
Lots of restaurant news this week. First, staff members at the new brunch spot Hilde and Jesse asked three SFPD officers to leave. Then, we learned about the confusion among restaurant owners over all new parklet regulations and the looming fines that could follow.
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For now… onto the news…
Brunch spot asked officers to leave, then apologized
Last Friday, staff members at Hilde and Jesse (a new brunch spot in North Beach) asked three uniformed SFPD officers to leave because “the presence of their weapons in the restaurant made [workers] uncomfortable,” according to an Instagram post that has since been taken down.
“We welcome them into the restaurant when they are off duty, out of uniform, and without their weapons,” the post read. Later in the weekend, Hilde and Jesse owners updated their statement on Instagram, saying they “made a mistake” and “handled this badly.”
“We are grateful to all members of the force who work hard to keep us safe,” the post reads. “We hope this will be a teachable moment for us as we repair and continue to build bridges with the SFPD.” (Chronicle)
Dickens Fair boycott
More than 200 cast members and thousands of others are boycotting this year’s Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace due, in part, to alleged “racist behavior toward performers of color,” the SFist’s Joe Kukura writes. “If you have attended, volunteered, or worked at The Great Christmas Dickens Fair in San Francisco you know the joyful spirit of the holidays it represents,” reads the petition calling for the boycott. “Unfortunately, that joy is not experienced by everyone.” (SFist / Chronicle)
SF Taxi drivers want their money back
San Francisco taxi drivers protested outside of City Hall on Tuesday, calling for debt relief on the $250,000 medallions they purchased to be able to operate in the city. As 48 Hills reporter Garrett Leahy writes, “The city put the permits on sale in 2010, and many drivers went into debt to buy one.” But with the rise of rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, Leahy notes, “the medallions lost much of their value.”
“The business is gone,” one taxi driver said on Tuesday. “They need to give us our money back.” (48 Hills)
Judge denies affordable housing project delay
On Wednesday, a San Francisco judge denied the Mid-Sunset Neighborhood Association’s attempt to delay construction of the seven-story affordable housing complex set to be built at 2550 Irving Street. The group is still suing the developer, in part, for “refus[ing] to consider a scaled-back, neighborhood-supported alternative that would be five-and-half floors instead of seven and 80 units instead of 91,” the Chronicle’s JK Dineen writes.
In response to the judge’s decision this week, Mayor Breed’s spokesperson Jeff Cretan said: “This project needs to continue to go forward. Delaying housing through appeals or lawsuits means denying people homes.” (Chronicle / SFist)
Retailers may soon hire SF sheriffs as private security
The Board of Supervisors voted in favor of legislation on Tuesday that allows off-duty sheriff deputies to earn time-and-a-half to work as private security guards for businesses in San Francisco, something that police officers in the city have been able to do for decades.
The decision comes as SFPD Chief Bill Scott said Tuesday that his department has been “unable to meet the demand” from retailers asking for added security.
As the Chronicle’s Mallory Moench notes, sheriff officers who participate in the voluntary overtime program would be “in uniform,” while “retailers would pay for their services and agree to not hold the city liable if anything were to go wrong.” A final vote on the matter will happen next week. (Chronicle / SF Standard)
SF High Schools to play for state football titles
Sacred Heart Cathedral’s high school football team will try to win its first state championship in school history on Saturday when it faces Northview-Covina for the Division 4-A title at 6 pm at Kezar Stadium. Also on Saturday, the Balboa High Bucs will face Taft at 1 pm at Balboa High School for the Division 7-A state championship. Good luck to both SF teams! (Examiner)
“Millionaire’s Bacon” for everyone
Hoyul Steven Choi, the restaurateur behind “Millionaire’s Bacon” and popular San Francisco brunch spots Sweet Maple and Kitchen Story, says he’s opening six new restaurants across the Bay Area next year, and eventually, he hopes to have at least 50 more locations across the country. “I think this is a good time for a quantum leap,” he said. (Chronicle)
Looming parklet fines stir panic
According to a press release on Thursday, Mayor London Breed plans to introduce legislation that would push back the deadline for when businesses need to bring their parklets up-to-code by nine months, from mid-next year to March 31, 2023. As reporter Janelle Bitker writes: “The move comes three days after The Chronicle published a story about panic in the restaurant industry, with many owners feeling like they had to tear down their parklets to meet new safety requirements.”
Earlier this week, the head of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Laurie Thomas estimated that up to 90% of parklets across the city would either need to be removed or significantly updated to comply with the city’s new guidelines. (Chronicle)
Gun buyback sale this Saturday
United Playaz, a “violence prevention and youth development organization,” is hosting its annual, no-questions-asked gun buyback sale this Saturday from 8 am to noon at 1038 Howard Street. Those turning in weapons will receive $100 for handguns and $200 for automatic firearms. (Broke-Ass Stuart)
Alright, that’s all for this week.
Thanks y’all for reading and again, if you want to receive these news updates daily, I’d love for you to subscribe to The SF Minute.
Have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here next Friday! – Nick B.
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