The owner of a beloved San Francisco restaurant that opened more than 60 years ago has decided to close shop for good, blaming the city for not supporting business owners amid a homelessness crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic.
HRD Coffee Shop opened its doors in 1953 as a modest establishment serving workers in the city’s downtown area – and eventually became a staple caterer to the city’s tech giants like software company Salesforce.
The restaurant even appeared on The Food Network several times, with Guy Fieri trying one its famous kimchi burritos.
But Sydney Saidyan, its current owner, told The San Francisco Standard the situation in the city became untenable, and he and his advisers decided to shut down the place back in May.
‘I would love to remain in San Francisco as a business. But the question is, would any sane person?’ Saidyan told the outlet.
The businessman explained the restaurant suffered great losses during the pandemic shutdown of the city, as they were not even allowed to set up outdoor dining.
According to Saidyan, the business was losing as much as $20,000 every month. Moreover, he said the restaurant’s landlord ‘did not play the right game with us during the pandemic.’
‘At the end, we just couldn’t keep the doors open because of the lack of support from the city and the landlord.’ Saidyan explained. ‘Unfortunately, the city does not see us as a partner.’
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