While several high-profile restaurant closings have been covered in the local media in recent months, hundreds have disappeared without fanfare, and the numbers will only continue to grow as the months of public health orders limiting their businesses extend to fall .
A new Yelp report covering the second quarter of 2020 reveals that 370 restaurants in the San Francisco metropolitan area have closed permanently since March. And while the trend is national, San Francisco is second only to New York and Los Angeles among metropolitan areas with most businesses closed, either temporarily or permanently. And SF is second only to Honolulu and Las Vegas in the closing rate per 1,000 businesses, with 7.3 permanently closed per 1,000.
Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, tells KRON4 that the only thing that will help right now is more bailout money from the federal government.
“Particularly with independent restaurants, you will see huge closing rates,” says Thomas. “And the longer this lasts, and the more people will run out of payroll protection loan money … we’ll be lucky to get to the end of October and be able to do it.”
Restaurants are currently allowed to serve outdoors, but the final death sentence could come if COVID cases do not drop and food indoors is still not allowed when the winter rains come, Thomas says.
Among the high-profile permanent closings in San Francisco that have made the news are Locanda at the Mission, Nopalito’s Inner Sunset location, 32-year-old Franchino in North Beach, 83-year-old Louis’ restaurant, ICHI Sushi, Dobbs Ferry, Walzwerk , Popsons on Market, Hakkasan and It’s Tops diner.
Related: First Louis’, now the cliff house is closing, at least temporarily
Photo: Anastasiia Chepinska
