Chow’s Large Oakland Location Is Closing After Less Than a Year

An ambitious branch of the small local chain Chow located at 770 Piedmont Avenue will close on Monday, October 29. Chow Oakland Cafe, Bakery & Market opened only in February, presenting a multi-part dining and shopping option for Oaklanders seeking everything from produce to fresh baked goods to a full meal.

The Oakland Chow, spun off from Chow’s original Church Street restaurant in San Francisco (est. 1997), had been in the works since at least 2014. But the idea had been a glimmer in the eye of proprietor Tony Gulisano well before that.

“I always thought we should sort out how to have a hybrid market and cafe,” he told Eater SF earlier this year.

But the experiment wasn’t working. “We have fallen short of the requirements necessary for survival,” a representative writes in a note shared with Eater SF. “We want to thank you for allowing us the opportunity of trying to establish ourselves in Oakland.”

In addition to the Church Street original, Chow still operates a Lafayette location — a smaller market and cafe combination that provided the basis for the Oakland effort. Park Chow, meanwhile — the team’s popular Inner Sunset location — closed to customers just before the Piedmont Avenue location opened.