No restaurant in San Francisco was quicker to reinvent itself in the face of the pandemic than Prairie. By March 16, the day San Francisco Mayor London Breed gave a reception order, the Mission Italian place had already been transformed into a general store. But even the rapid turnaround could not save Prairie – on Friday, the restaurant will close permanently, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Chef and owner Anthony Strong explained that the conversion of Prairie to a store that sold pantry staples such as pasta and beans, as well as toilet paper and flour kits was never meant to be a permanent solution.
“The reality is that we traded a tight-fitting, low-margin business model we knew, for a tricky, low-margin business model that was completely foreign to us,” Strong told the Chronicle.
In April, the new business model turned out to be a small profit, but it only lasted a few weeks, eventually leading Strong to its decision to close.
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Prairie opened in 2018 on 19th and San Carlos streets, serving rustic Italian fare in a sci-fi-inspired space. Earlier this year, Strong built a new room in the restaurant for private ticket dinners, but when news began circulating in February, he realized that his new concept would not work.
“One thing a small independent solo operation has taught me in a year is to take some punches, figure things out and make quick decisions on the fly,” he told SFGATE at the time.
Prairie is located at 3431 19th St, San Francisco and will be open daily for pickup and delivery from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Friday.
SFGATE has reached out to Prairie for comment and will update the article when we hear back.
Madeline Wells is an SFGATE reporter. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @ madwells22
