SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A longtime Bay Area restaurant is shutting down for good and is considered another victim of the pandemic.
KRON4 talked with a restaurant industry expert who expects to see many more beloved institutions close in the coming months.
It’s a little restaurant with a big view, Louis’, overlooking Sutro Baths and the Pacific Ocean has been serving up hotcakes and hamburgers for the past 83 years.
Now in the door is a sign posted reading ‘Closed Forever.’
That’s got one longtime patron who came to pay his respects bummed out.
“My parents used to bring me here in return I need to bring my daughter here it was always a place to get patty melts and a milkshake then I’d bring my grandkids here to see it shut down over this COVID stuff it’s pretty depressing,” David Teran said.
One of the grandkids of the original owners say they are sad to close the family restaurant down but the pandemic makes it necessary, especially with the new health rules needed when indoor dining starts up again in San Francisco.
“It seems like there wouldn’t be much money to be made at 50% capacity even more than that which is the safety of our staff and ourselves,” Tom Hoatalas said.
So far there is no official tally of the number of local businesses in San Francisco impacted by COVID-19 but the website Eater SF has a running list of close to 40 bars and restaurants that have shuttered since March just in the city alone.
A hospitality industry lawyer believes the next three to four months are going to be the most difficult time in terms of bar and restaurant survival, as PPP loans and landlords’ patience if they had any to begin with, run out and uncertainty over the industries future in the time of coronavirus continues.
“I think it’s kind of a perfect storm if we don’t get back on track and if we don’t have a pathway forward I think we’re going to see more and more restaurants and bars closing for good, unfortunately,” Roberta Economidis said.
One of the owners of Louis’ says since they’ve announced their decision to close up for good, they’ve had an outpouring of nearly 700 messages on Facebook from people across the county.
He says while he knew Louis’ meant a lot to his family, he didn’t realize how much it meant to so many others.
Here is a full statement released from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area:
As a result of economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, long-standing business and park partner Louis’ Restaurant has requested the early termination of its lease with the National Park Service (NPS).
It is with sadness that we say goodbye to the Hontalas family, who have operated the restaurant for 83 years, as they make this difficult decision. The NPS wishes to extend its thanks for our 45-year partnership and looks forward to offering opportunities at this iconic dining spot in the future. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have decided that it is too early to determine the future of this operation.
The restaurant is in the Sea Cliff neighborhood of San Francisco and overlooks Sutro Baths, a collection of ruins from a 19th-century swimming facility. It lies within Golden Gate National Recreation Area, an urban national park that is spread across more than 80,000 acres in three Bay Area counties.
The land was managed for decades under an NPS concession contract that was eventually converted to a lease. The purpose of concessionaires and lessees in parks is to provide necessary and appropriate visitor services that government agencies do not traditionally provide.
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