Craftsman and Wolves Bows Out of Russian Hill This Sunday [Updated]

The contemporary pastry cool kids of Craftsman & Wolves are selling their Pacific Avenue location to focus on better performing Mission and Bayview shops. Chef-owner William Werner will reportedly move some equipment from the Russian Hill location to the Valencia Street one, introducing new items for the Mission like doughnuts in the process. Sunday is the final day for pastries at 1643 Pacific.

This, the second CAW location, opened in 2015. The 900-square foot shop bears the same dark, minimalist decor as the Mission original. In 2016, the company dug in its heels with a third location, the Bayview storefront and bakery known as the Den. That location has since introduced a popular brunch, and plans for a CAW doughnut shop nearby have been floated, too.

Eater has reached out to CAW for more information on the changes and will update this post accordingly.

Update 10/18: “As we progress, and ask ourselves, ‘okay, cool, what’s next,’ we could never get [the Russian Hill CAW location] on the same page,” William Werner tells Eater. Because he owns the Pacific Avenue space itself, he didn’t have to worry about breaking the lease. It’s currently for sale, with some initial interest from potential buyers.

“I love that space, I love the interior, but after a while, it was a distraction,” Werner says.

As for Craftsman and Wolves doughnuts: The proposed Bayview location, which would also be the site of city-funded housing, is tied to grants that have been delayed. But recipe development is underway. “With some friers we got, we thought, why not release a small line of doughnuts, leading towards what we want to do in the Bayview?”

Expect those this holiday season.

• Craftsman and Wolves to shutter Russian Hill shop [Chronicle]
• Take a Peek Inside the Minimalist Craftsman and Wolves Pacific [ESF]