Thrive City Dining Gets Back On Track with the Opening of Harmonic Brewing

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• Dogpatch brewery and taproom Harmonic Brewing has opened a second location at Thrive City, the long-planned dining and retail hub located just outside of Chase Center. Progress at Thrive City has been mostly on hold during the pandemic — it’s just the second restaurant to follow through with plans to open there since the Dumpling Time’s debut in January 2020. Local croissant legend Greg Mindel of nearby Neighbor Bakehouse is crafting the menu, which includes dough-centric individual Sicilian pizzas, soft pretzels, and sweet and savory turnovers, all counter-service style. With a 2,000-square-foot patio and bay views, Harmonic is open on all Chase Center event days, with plans to expand to seven days a week and serve lunch and dinner.
• Too Good to Go, a European company that launched its U.S. operations last year in NYC, has debuted in San Francisco, partnering with local restaurants and grocery stores to sell food to customers that would otherwise get tossed. Local restaurant partners, of which there are already more than 100, include Gracias Madre, Mission Chinese, Daily Driver, Mochica, and La Boulangerie. How it works: When restaurants anticipate waste at the end of the day, they can create “surprise bags” of food, costing between $3 and $6, which are then available for customers to browse and purchase via a mobile app that shows them nearby participating restaurants. [7x7]
• San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will vote next week on a law requiring grocery stores to give workers an additional $5 per hour hazard pay through June 19, extending a current iteration that expires on May 19. Despite opposition from the grocery industry, the proposition appears likely to pass, as the board’s Government Audit and Oversight Committee unanimously approved the extension on Thursday. [SF Examiner]
• A group of Albany residents is again raising money to help keep Solano Avenue restaurants in business during the pandemic, this time in order to help them construct outdoor dining parklets. Albany Inside Out plans to distribute 15 grants of $1,000 each to restaurants for outdoor seating areas, and is currently raising funds in order to distribute more via a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising an additional $10,000. [Berkeleyside]
• 40-year-old Sonoma winery Clos du Bois has lost nearly all of its employees after being hit by layoffs, four months after its acquisition by major wine brand Gallo. Gallo laid off nearly all of Clos du Bois’ 40 workers, reports the Press Democrat, following a steep decline in sales — reportedly dropping from $4.5 million to $1.8 million — which one employee attributed to the new parent company’s disinterest in the brand. A spokesperson said some of the laid off employees will have the opportunity to move to other wineries in Sonoma County. [The Press Democrat]