Bhoga, a New Indian Restaurant in the Castro, Faces Wage Theft Allegations

Employees of the Castro’s newest Indian restaurant say they haven’t been paid

Permitting issues delayed the advent of Bhoga, an Indian restaurant located right across the street from the Castro Theater, for nearly three years. It finally opened for business on November 20, but now it faces another hurdle, as Hoodline reports that three employees (including executive chef Mel Oza) quit after they claim that they have yet to be paid. According to Oza, Bhoga owner Prem Makkena owes him $18,104.30, but Makkena denies the allegations, saying “there were some consultants who promised some deliverables and took advance pay, but never turned the completed final deliverables...We believe that they even stole our assets and acted without proper authorization, and were trying to defame us.”

Folks hungry for a variety of regional Mexican dishes should head to the East Bay

In addition to offerings like El Garage (which makes tacos so popular that Eater SF’s coverage of it broke 2019 traffic records), the East Bay is home to a slew of food trucks that each specialize in dishes from spots like Sinaloa, Guadalajara, and Michoacán. KQED has a handy guide of five Oakland food trucks that sport the best and most unique offerings, including Guadalajaran Torta Ahogada, aguachile ceviche, and chicharron tacos de canasta.

The director of the Gilroy Garlic Festival is out

Brian Bowe has served as the executive director of the Gilroy Garlic Festival for the last 14 years, but via statement has announced that “I truly believe that the festival will benefit from a fresh perspective in the Executive Director position,” the San Jose Mercury News reports. The festival, which faces a lawsuit over allegedly “lax security measures” prior to a mass shooting that injured 14 and killed three last July, says that Bowe will remain for a “transitional period” as it mounts a national search for his replacement.

Several new restaurants have signed leases at SFO

Eater SF’s freshly-updated guide to SFO will see some serious changes in future months, as the SF Business Journal reports that three new restaurants are planning outposts in the airport. Green Beans Coffee will open a grab-and-go mart called Pronto in Terminal 3, Park Café Group (the folks behind Dolores Park Cafe, among others) signed a lease for a 300-square-foot spot in Terminal 1, and Mission-based Sidewalk Juice — which is also after a cut of the CBD market — will bring its smoothie game to Terminal 3.

Malaysian food kiosk Azalina’s is opening a second location

Azalina Eusope has a lot going on. Earlier this year, she opened Mahila, a buzzy Noe Valley restaurant that specializes in a sit-down version of the Malaysian food she also sells at Azalina’s, a kiosk inside the soon-to-expand food hall inside the Twitter building. Now the Chron reports that a second location of Azalina’s is in the works, this one at the Aviary, a residential development at 499 Ellis Street that made headlines last spring for offering way-below-market rents to bars and restaurant tenants. Eusope says that she hopes to move into her new Tenderloin location in February, and says the spot will have a bar, communal tables, and outdoor seating.