Vandals Target San Francisco Restaurants

Even though many local restaurants have covered their doors and windows with plywood, thieves and vandals are still attempting to break in.

At least three shuttered San Francisco restaurants have been vandalized or broken into over the last few days, a wave that stands in sharp contrast to the overall drop in crime since the area’s shelter-in-place order began.

Property crimes reported in San Francisco dropped by about 50 percent in March, a decrease officials attribute to the closure of non-essential businesses and the overall expectation that people stay home during the crisis. But according to the owner of a glass repair service that Eater SF spoke to last week, calls to fix windows of area businesses damaged by vandals have been on the rise, and an SFPD officer Eater SF spoke to on Thursday said that “we’re seeing a lot more” smash-and-grab type crimes in recent weeks.

Three restaurant world cases were recently noted by SF Gate:

• Hamano Sushi, a Noe Valley spot owned by former Saison sushi chef Jiro Lin, had its windows smashed in, Tablehopper tweeted.
• Mitchell’s Ice Cream says via Facebook that someone took a blowtorch to their front door. “Did they really think we left a bunch of money in the store while we’re closed? Not the brightest thief,” the restaurant wrote.
• A passer-by tossed an object through the window of Filipino fusion spot Señor Sisig’s Valencia Street location. “We knew that this was always a possibility given other small businesses in the area have experienced similar cases,” the restaurant wrote via Instagram, “but to hit us while we are down was a surprise.”

And in other news...

• Delivery apps don’t send drivers to San Francisco’s Treasure Island, which means that during the coronavirus crisis, area residents have no restaurant options. [SF Examiner]
• Luka’s Taproom and Lounge, a neighborhood spot in Oakland, has transformed into Luka’s Community Kitchen, a spot that makes meals for non-profits like the East Oakland Collective. [NBC Bay Area]
• Manresa Bread, the bakery spinoff of Michelin-starred Los Gatos restaurant Manresa, has reopened its doors and is selling bread, pastries, produce, and flour. [San Jose Mercury News]
• Students at UC Berkeley have launched an organization called SF Food Friends, which partners vulnerable people, volunteers, and grocery stores to ensure safe stocking up. [Daily Californian]
• East Bay farmers and farmers markets are still in business, with many of the former pivoting to a CSA box business model to help customers stay at home. [Berkeleyside]
• Mountain View’s oldest restaurant, Clarke’s Charcoal Broiler, is closing after 75 years in business. “Due to COVID-19 and the current extended shelter in place, it has made it impossible for us to continue on,” its owners say. [San Jose Mercury News]
• Caterers who relied on Silicon Valley events for business are trying to figure out a way forward. [CNBC]
• Bay Area Safeway stores have made some coronavirus distancing changes, including making some aisles one way only. [ABC 7]