Off the Grid Cancels Its Flagship Fort Mason Event Due to Coronavirus Concerns

San Francisco’s largest weekly food truck gathering has been put on hold for at least two weeks

In the wake of the San Francisco Health Department’s recommendation to cancel all “non-essential large gatherings” to prevent novel coronavirus from spreading, what is probably the city’s largest weekly food gathering — Off the Grid’s sprawling, flagship Friday night Fort Mason Center food truck event — has been canceled for at least the next two weeks, the SF Chronicle reports. That means the event, which typically features more than 30 vendors and draws thousands of visitors each week, won’t happen on March 13 and March 20. After that, the event’s organizers will reevaluate the public health situation, according to a post on Off the Grid’s website.

Notably, Off the Grid’s other smaller food truck gatherings will continue to run as normal for the time being, with the caveat that they’ll be shifting to takeout only.

The announcement comes as part of a flurry of coronavirus-related closures and cancellations, both in San Francisco and the broader Bay Area. For instance, the long-running Taste of Yountville culinary event later this month has also been canceled this year — the first coronavirus-related cancellation in Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Register reports. Meanwhile, the Chron reports that San Francisco’s South Park Cafe is closed temporarily after an employee tested positive for coronavirus.

And in other news …

• Blue Bottle, the Sacramento-based third-wave coffee megachain, will pay out $1.5 million to former hourly employees after settling a class action lawsuit that alleged a policy of systemic wage theft that included forcing employees to work through breaks and not paying overtime. In a statement sent to the SF Chronicle, the company said it decided to settle not because it was guilty of the violations but because the settlement would result in “more money being paid directly to employees.” [SFC]

• The Bay Area now has not just one but two bona fide restaurants focused on Georgian cuisine: Open since late February in San Carlos, Tamari features a broad menu of classic Georgian dishes like khinkali (a kind of meat-filled dumpling) and six different kinds of the traditional cheese bread known as khachapuri. [PAO]
• Gozu, the splashy wagyu steak restaurant that was shut down by a New Year’s Eve fire less than two months after its debut, will soon begin taking reservations in advance of its April 16 relaunch, at which point it’ll debut a significantly updated menu, the restaurant announced in a press release.
• Zero Foodprint, a climate change-focused nonprofit founded by SF restaurateurs Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz, has been awarded the James Beard Foundation’s “Humanitarian of the Year” award for its work promoting climate-beneficial farming in practices, in part by funding them through restaurant surcharges. [JBF]
• Analog, a vinyl- and VHS-themed beer bar and sandwich spot in Uptown Oakland, has closed. [Hoodline]