Mystery Motorist Sports ‘SF CHEF’ Vanity License Plate

While stopped at Third Street at Cesar Chavez Street Wednesday evening, Eater SF spotted the car pictured above, bearing a license plate that reads “SF CHEF.” This prompted a lot of questions — for example, how long ago did the driver have to register to score a plate with that moniker? — but few answers were available, as the driver was out of reach before his or her face could be seen.

An Instagram post on the plate led only to speculation — and a puzzling comment from Hapa Ramen founder turned ChefsFeed staffer Richie Nakano that “this license plate used to be on a BMW I AM JUST SAYING.”

With vague information like this, it’s tempting to turn to one’s contacts in law enforcement, but favors from officials are finite and — not to dismiss the earth-shattering nature of this news item — might be wasted on this particular case. But one thing that can be confirmed is that this plate didn’t come cheap: According to the California DMV’s website, in addition to the standard fee one pays to register a car in the state, a “legacy” style personalized license plate like this one cost “SF CHEF” an extra $50.

Is advertising that one is an “SF CHEF” worth an extra Grant per year? To this driver, the answer is apparently a resounding “yes.”

Do you know who this SF Chef is? The tip line is always open at eve@eater.com.