LA Chain Lemonade Will Open First San Francisco Location in May

After Lemonade announced plans to take over three former La Boulange spaces last fall, the Bay Area braced for an influx of the very popular, cafeteria-style chain. Now, the chain is nearer to Northern California invasion with the announcement that the first location will open at Yerba Buena (781 Mission St.) on May 5.

After that will come Palo Alto (151 University Ave.) around Memorial Day, Walnut Creek (1348 Broadway Plaza) on June 14, and Burlingame (1152 Burlingame Ave.) on June 30. The other two San Francisco locations are further out, hoping to open in the Inner Sunset (1266 9th Ave.) and West Portal (16 W Portal Ave.) by the end of the year.

When Pascal Rigo bought back six former La Boulanges for his new enterprise, La Boulangerie, many fans of La Boulange's status as neighborhood gathering places were pleased. Given the many vacant properties around town, It makes sense for a chain like Lemonade to assume the lease of a swath of restaurants, especially considering the fast-casual shaped holes the La Boulange closures left behind in many neighborhoods. Even so, the company has over 11 locations and is therefore designated as a chain, meaning it is  required to obtain approval from the SF Planning Commission before it can go any further with its San Francisco stores (though chains in the city center seem to have different regulations). Stay tuned for updates on openings around town.