New Cafe From Farmers Market Sandwich Sensation Flooded in Sonoma County

Brand new Sebastopol cafe, the Farmer’s Wife, flooded

A Sebastopol brick-and-mortar location of popular Ferry Plaza farmers market sandwich stall the Farmer’s Wife is underwater due to flooding from recent storms. Owner Kendra Kolling just opened her now-inundated cafe in October. She’ll still be at the San Francisco market this weekend, working out of a commissary kitchen, but beyond that, Kolling isn’t sure how she can continue.

Anchor union pushing towards vote

Some of the Anchor brewing workers attempting to unionize their workplace are accusing the company of union-busting tactics. Anchor has denied those allegations, but declined to voluntarily recognize the union, which workers say they want to improve pay and benefits. The majority of Anchor’s workers signed union cards in early February, and the National Labor Relations Board will hold a unionization vote for them as soon as next week.

Crooked City Cider celebrates grand opening

A long-awaited taproom from local cider maker Crooked City has been open for the past few weeks in Jack London Square, and is celebrating with a grand opening party tomorrow, Saturday March 2. It’s the last chance — for a little while — to try Crooked City’s own ciders like “ginger bomb” and “straight up Oakland dry.” The company is suspending cider production while its taproom gets up and running.

Credit, not cash, is king at Blue Bottle

Bay Area-born, Nestlé-acquired coffee chain Blue Bottle is testing cashless, credit-card transaction-only cafes in San Francisco. The company, whose headquarters are in Oakland, will cease accepting cash at 12 locations in the US, including two locations in SF: One at 1355 Market Street and another at 2 South Park. Going cashless is a new trend that some operators say avoids liability and cuts costs, but it’s a controversial choice that some interpret as discriminatory.