Transit Center Outpost of Fidi Favorite Per Diem Delayed Amid Closure

Downtown happy hour haunt Per Diem is counting the days until it can offer its popular “afternoon delights” (as its early evening specials are called on the menu) at a second location South of Market. But some extra days of waiting are in store, as the Per Diem project is delayed by roughly a quarter. The issue: Its new home, the Salesforce Transit Center, remains closed pending repairs after two cracks were found in its steal beams just weeks after the structure, which includes retail space, a bus terminal, and a rooftop park, opened to the public.

Fortunately, the Transit Center closure and delays won’t altogether derail Per Diem or other announced restaurant tenants like Eddie Rickenbacker’s, which will provide a beer garden at the center, or Philz, which is adding two coffee shops to the mix.

“We will continue to work with the [Transbay Joint Powers Authority] as they reopen the center when it is safe to do so,” a leasing agent said. “In the meantime, we will continue to work with prospective interested tenants and continue to receive interest about the transit center. We have reached out to our existing tenants to keep them updated and work on permitting continues even as the center is temporarily closed to the public.”

When Per Diem does arrive, sometime in the second quarter of the year according to a representative, its strengths will be the same as those at the 43 Sutter Street location. “In the middle of happy hour, it’s usually three to four deep at the bar,” says beverage director Bree Bojorquez. Highlights from the menu include customizable Manhattans and 12 to 14 wines by the glass plus shared food items like flatbreads, cheese, and charcuterie. The new Per Diem, which will be identified as Per Diem Transbay, will also feature outdoor seating and more standing room and bar space than the original (henceforth Per Diem FiDi).

“Salesforce Transit Center is the new heart of the South Financial District and the East Cut in San Francisco,” the center’s leasing agent added in a statement. “It is a crucial piece to the lives of so many who commute daily to and from and within San Francisco. And the park itself has been received with overwhelming fanfare. We have no doubt that all issues will be resolved and we look forward to all transit and park activity returning to normal very soon.”