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- A number of Bay Area restaurants and bars are asking customers to prove they’ve been vaccinated before they can grab dinner or a drink inside. It’s a change taking place in other cities, too — for example, in Los Angeles — in response to the spread of the delta variant. Earlier this week, a coalition of 500 SF bars announced they were considering requiring proof of vaccination for entry; now, a small but growing group of restaurants and bars (the SF Chronicle has a running list of spots) are making the move. For now, Oakland businesses Palmetto and Kon-Tiki will let you dine in if you haven’t been vaccinated but wear a mask — but if cases continue their upward trajectory will eventually turn away anyone without a negative test or proof of vaccination. [SF Chronicle]
- In what’s becoming a disturbing pattern of crime, thieves have once again struck at Clement Street ice cream shop Toy Boat by Jane. According to a post on the business’s Instagram, someone broke in and stole some of the vintage toys bequeathed to the business by Jesse Fink, who along with his wife Roberta operated the beloved Toy Boat Dessert Cafe in the space for 38 years before retiring during the pandemic. Amanda Michael, owner of Jane the Bakery, took over the space last year — making efforts to preserve some of Toy Boat’s character by keeping and displaying the shop’s extensive collection of funky toys. The first theft took place not long after, during which a toy burglar donned a costume and posed as a window repair person in order to snatch some metal robots and Godzillas.
- Californians could vote to ban Styrofoam food packaging statewide next year. Though some cities (including San Francisco) already have laws in place to do essentially the same thing, the California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act of 2020, which will appear on the statewide ballot in November 2022, would require all plastic packaging sold throughout the state to be recyclable or reusable. Environmental activists backing the measure say the state is “drowning in plastic,” per the Mercury News, while reps for the plastic industry say the move would “threaten” small businesses, including restaurants. Scientists, meanwhile, say that about 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010 alone and since plastic doesn’t decompose, could be floating around forever. [Mercury News]
- Walnut Creek is getting yet another new restaurant: The East Bay city will welcome its own location of Onigilly, the fast-casual spot known for offering an abundance of “Japanese gourmet rice balls.” According to the Mercury News, owner and founder Koji Kanematsu is the only male entrepreneur to be backed by La Cocina and dreamed up Onigilly after moving to the States and realizing how hard it was to find onigiri. Now diners can choose from triangle-shaped, seaweed-wrapped snacks filled with everything from soy-braised shiitake mushrooms or baked salmon to spicy bacon or pickled plums. The newest Onigilly location will be at 1372 Locust Street and is expected to open this summer. [Mercury News]
- The San Francisco District Attorney’s office is investigating claims that Chinatown businesses, including 100-year-old banquet hall Far East Cafe, are facing “shakedowns” and “threats” in the form of foreboding letters warning of expensive lawsuits. ABC7 reports a handful of Chinatown business owners have received letters claiming their businesses don’t meet ADA requirements; the letters demand money and threaten legal action. “It’s just like the mob,” Hene Kelly, Vice President of the California Alliance for Retired Americans told ABC7. District Attorney Chesa Boudin says his office is looking into whether ADA laws are being exploited as a way to extort money out of the small businesses, adding that his office supports both communities: “We stand with our Chinese community, we stand with our disability advocates.” [ABC7]
- Royal Café in Albany, which has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic, may be gone for good, Berkeleyside reports. The family-friendly restaurant known for both its pink tower-like facade and its collection of nostalgic knick-knacks served an expansive menu of eggs, waffles, pancakes, burgers, and more. [Berkeleyside]
