Welcome to Year in Eater 2016, Eater’s annual ritual of eulogizing the past 12 months through input from the city’s top food writers. For 2016’s final week, we’ll be posting questions daily about the Bay Area’s restaurant scene in the past year, with answers from those who know it best. Up now: What are your headline predictions for 2017?
Ellen Fort, Eater SF editor
Restaurant Where Tacos Are Made by Robots Now Open in the Mission
Tsukiji Market Relocates to SF in Response to Flood of Omakase Restaurants
SF Beats New York in Number of Michelin Stars
Beef Tartare-Focused Restaurant Opens, Competes With Wave of Raw Fish Spots
The Dapper Diner, local blogger
Let Them Eat Cake: Restaurant Introduces Large Format Desserts
Restaurant Stays Open for More Than a Year on Mid-Market
Breakfast-Only Restaurant Opens Serving Only Cold Pizza
Thai Chef Under Fire for Appropriating Southern Cooking
President Trump Awards Trump Grill Three Big League Golden Trumpian Stars
Comfort Food Trending as Nation Cries Into Its Collective Blankie
How to Prepare Michelin Quality Food With MREs.2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017: The Year Filipino Food Finally Gains Traction!
Rebecca Flint Marx, San Francisco magazine food editor
Chef Tattoos: Where Are They Now?
Fuck It, I'm Going Fast Casual: One Chef's Story
Paolo Lucchesi, The Chronicle food editor
Shake Shack Bay Area
Jonathan Kauffman, The Chronicle food reporter
Things Fall Apart
The Chickens of Gentrification Really, Really Come Home to Roost.
Hillary Dixler, Eater National senior reports editor
Three Michelin Stars for Single Thread
Andrew Dalton, Eater contributor
Seven Places to Get Smoked Duck Right Now
Michael Bauer’s Top Five Smoked Ducks
Fowl Local Dining Craze Leads to a Shortage of Duck
Sonoma County Is Running Out of Duck
Ducks Are Extinct Now
Marcia Gagliardi, Tablehopper
Every Food Dish You Have Ever Wanted Is Now Available as a Bowl, Delivered to You in 15 Minutes
Michael Mina Restaurant Offers a Weed Trio on the Tasting Menu
Third Wave Coffee Shops Now Open on Every Single Block in SF
Book an Exclusive $285 Omakase Experience at Outside Lands
Trevor Felch, Zagat SF editor
A lot of closings unfortunately because there is just so, so much competition now and the tech bubble isn't going to stay at the stratospheric heights forever.
Beyond that, we'll have a surge in Ottolenghi-inspired places like Tawla, more contemporary Mexican, fewer burgers and pizza (thank goodness), and the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset are going to be the "in" places. Also, diners will finally get tired of craft cocktails with dinner, so restaurants will have to start finding new revenue streams lost because of that.
Jay Barmann, SFist editor
Zuni Goes Fast Casual
The Excelsior Is the New Hayes Valley.
Pete Kane, SF Weekly food critic
Restaurants exist because of immigrant labor, and staffing is already a challenge. Should the Neo-Nazis who are about to take over the country enact the racist, anti-immigrant agenda they said all along they would, it will cause untold pain and suffering for millions of people — and restaurants might become collateral damage, especially in a sanctuary city that’s the extreme right’s favorite punching bag. I also see greater hesitation over opening splashy, physically large restaurants with challenging menus. Plus lots of sunchokes, cocoa nibs, octopus, and vermouth on menus.