Tenderloin Beer Bar Mikkeller Is For Sale

Employees at Tenderloin beer bar Mikkeller have been told that the spot is permanently closed, but its co-owner disagrees

Mikkeller Bar, a destination beer hall that opened in 2013, was a much-heralded partnership between Chuck Stilphen (founder of popular Oakland beer bar the Trappist) and Mikkel Borg Bjergsø (the at times controversial founder of Danish craft brewery Mikkeller, hence the bar’s name). Now Stilphen is out, the location is listed for sale, and employees have reportedly been told that the spot has shuttered for good.

The collab between Stilphen and Bjergsø begat spots in Oakland and SoCal, all of which have since closed: Oakland’s Mikkeller was rebranded as Trappist Provisions in February of 2019, and its LA spot shuttered this past February, Eater LA reported at the time, with an email sent to staff that read “Mikkeller DTLA has lost money every month since it opened three years ago. I’ve exhausted all my money and credit lines covering payroll, rent etc. I’ve been doing everything I can to keep the place open.”

Uptown Almanac was first to note that the SF spot has been listed for sale, with promises of $4 million in annual sales and a non-negotiable rent of $11, 700 for its 6000-square-foot space. An email viewed by SF Gate said that the spot was closing due to “the financial strain of the pandemic,” but a spokesperson for Mikkeller told the Gate ”it is not correct that it is closed permanently...it is closed now due to the situation in the world.”

According to Stilphen, who also spoke to the Gate, “Mikkeller HQ may choose to reopen Mikkeller SF if they want” but “I personally am getting out of the business.” For those who want to get into the business, the bar can be yours for only $390,000.

And in other news...

• Trader Joe’s will open a new store in Milpitas. The company won’t confirm an opening date, but it’s already filed an application to sell booze. [San Jose Mercury News]
• Mission pasta/pizza spot Flour + Water has opened a spinoff called Flour + Water Pasta Shop inside the temporarily shuttered Central Kitchen. Expect meal kits, fresh noodles, and sauces, all available for pickup. [SF Chronicle]
• Today in delivery app shenanigans: A pizza restaurant listed by Doordash without its consent says that patrons that get cold or late pizzas are tanking the spot’s Yelp reviews. [Margins] Meanwhile, Grubhub is continuing to charge some restaurants about $7 for phone calls placed to the spots, many made by diners that picked up the phone because they wanted to avoid delivery apps. [Buzzfeed]
• The North Beach Merchants Association says it wants to allow restaurants and other businesses to take over the area’s sidewalks, parking spaces, and even a stretch of Grant — but any proposal like that has to wind its way through a maze of city agencies. [KPIX]
• Nine-year-old South Bay coffee chain Chromatic Coffee rebranded as Paper Moon Coffee Co. right before the pandemic hit — and now its owner is also focusing on a non-profit called Coffee Housing that seeks to find homes for baristas in the pricey Bay Area. [San Jose Mercury News]
• If you find articles speculating on the post-pandemic future more hopeful than frustrating, this feature on how Bay Area restaurants might change could be up your alley. [SF Chronicle]