This Chinatown Classic For Decadent Dim Sum Might Be Forced to Close

Things are tense between two Chinatown mainstays in San Francisco. City View Restaurant, a decades-old go-to for dim sum at 662 Commercial Street, is facing eviction from property owners Chinatown Community Development Center. SFGATE reports the restaurant’s lease expired in October, but restaurant ownership claims landlords were happy to take rent checks all the way through January.

The landlords now demand City View pays an additional $145.84 per day as of November 1, 2022, for as long as the restaurant remains at its Commercial Street location. While acknowledging their terminated lease, the restaurant owners say the Development Center has yet to return any money for the months they leased post-contract. No matter how it shakes out, What Now SF reports City View looks to move to Walter U. Lum Plaza where the original Empress of China restaurant held court for more than 45 years.

Fast food workers face opposition from business owners

The passing of Assembly Bill 257, which established a Fast Food Sector Council ensuring worker protections, brought relief to thousands of workers throughout California in September. Now, the Mercury News reports Save Local Restaurants, a lobbying group comprised of mostly franchise owners, has filed a referendum to cancel the bill. Voters will have the chance to choose — again — in 2024.

Major wine dealer lays off hundreds in the East Bay

E. & J. Gallo Winery, the country’s biggest winery by sales volume, is closing its in-house distributor, Gallo Sales Co. Inc., and laying off 355 employees. The San Francisco Business Times reports the Modesto-based company will close all distribution facilities in March, impacting workers in Hayward, Sacramento, Bakersfield, and more. The company will instead opt for an outside distributor based in Texas.

Tenderloin go-to for music and comedy set to close

There’ll be no more encores for Taylor Street’s PianoFight. SFist reports the bar and venue will close in March, alongside its Oakland location which opened in 2020. Rob Ready, a founder of the business, told the Examiner that COVID took a huge hit to the businesses. “It got gnarly,” Ready told the outlet.

San Francisco grocer and restaurant team up for new ice cream

Bi-Rite Creamery is rolling out its newest ice cream flavor: pandan mango swirl. The release comes from a partnership with James Beard Award-winning restaurants Liholiho Yacht Club and Good Good Culture Club. In an Instagram post, Bi-Rite admired the restaurant owners’ commitment to equity and inclusion.