These San Francisco Neighborhoods Saw the Most Restaurant Closings During the Last Few Years

Does it seem like your part of San Francisco suffered more restaurant closures than other parts of the city during the last few years? Or maybe it seems few businesses in your neck of the woods have managed to open back up? Whatever the case, the San Francisco Chronicle reports on data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health that provides actual numbers on total closings, openings, and re-openings of restaurants in the city, neighborhood to neighborhood.

Year over year, Haight-Ashbury (the only neighborhood to see net growth in the last year), Outer Mission, and Noe Valley reported the most openings of the city’s neighborhoods. The Financial District, the Mission District, and SoMa came in as the three neighborhoods with the most closings. Across the board, in 2020 a total of 335 restaurants closed while 269 opened. Worst still, in 2021 a total of 530 restaurants closed while 265 opened. According to the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, many restaurants reported a lack of federal aid and labor shortages as contributing to closings.

Burma Superstar expands into Hayes Valley

Mega-popular Burmese restaurant chain Burma Superstar is taking over the former Akna space at 399 Grove Street. The San Francisco Business Times writes the new outpost will seat about 99 patrons in the 3,200-square-foot space.

This downtown Sacramento spice shop could close

Spice retailer Allspicery, according to the Sacramento Bee, took to Instagram on August 11 to say the store will shut down if no one buys the business by September. The store opened in 2016 but owner Heather Wong says “in a post-COVID world I am no longer able to give the Allspicery the dedication and focus that it needs and deserves.” Interested in taking over the lease? Email [email protected].

A Lime scooter co-founder just launched a tea and dessert chain

Toby Sun is one of the founders and creators behind Lime, the company responsible for all those scooters littering San Francisco’s sidewalks. As of last year, he’s also the founder of fruit tea and dessert startup Zero&. According to the San Francisco Business Times, the founder worked in marketing for PepsiCo before getting into electric vehicles, so opening the three locations in places like Livermore’s San Francisco Premium Outlets isn’t that crazy.

New San Jose night market is already a big hit

The Tully Night Market launched in July and, according to Hoodline, is already a fan favorite. On Wednesday evenings near the Tully Road Ballfields, 20 or so food trucks, artists, and musicians come together to bring new life to east San Jose. District 7 Councilmember Maya Esparza led the initiative to bring the free market to the South Bay.

Peace deal between local school and farmers market could fall apart

It seems, after a brief calm, tensions are once again rising between Saint Ignatius College Preparatory School and the Sunset Mercantile. According to SFGATE, the organizers behind the farmers market are alleging the school is reneging on a deal reached between the two organizations after they became embroiled in a pseudo turf war. Angie Petitt, director of Sunset Mercantile, says the school feels a need to pull out of the memorandum of understanding “because they say they did not involve the right people at SI in our meetings.”