RIP Franchises of our youths

[Greg]

Waiting on contracts from the NPS was cited as one of the reasons for the closure.

[King Bob]

In the days of the first Cliff House, there was a rope bridge to Seal Rock. They could bring that back for a tourist draw.

[Greg]

Can they rebuild the Sutro Baths, as well. I really would like to see what that was like in it's heyday.

[thatguy]

I had a Manhattan at the Cliff House once, IIRC. I was more excited about trying to see the Farallons from the camera obscura.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obs...ifornia%29

--tg

[Drunk Monk]

Well, no one would do take out from there. Why would they? It was all about the view. 

I'm sure someone will take it over eventually. I'd be suspect that the food would be any better however.

Mmmmm manhattens. I can't remember the last time I had one of those. I stopped drinking cocktails years ago and just do straight whiskey now. I should indulge those again. Ever since The Queen's Gambit, I've been thinking I should try a Gibson, because I've never had one. 

No way they'd do a rope bridge again. Imagine the liability. But now I'm thinking zipline. 

And I know what you mean about Sutro Baths. Those old pix are wild. There used to be a spa restaurant on Seabright beach near me that was shaped like a castle. They should refurbish the Cliff House to look like a castle.

[Drunk Monk]

Aw man. This place was a classic. Although I haven't eaten there in years, probably not since I went pescatarian. There's some veg places that I hit in Chinatown, plus Nanking, but that's about it. I don't get up there as much anymore.

S.F. Chinatown’s oldest banquet restaurant Far East Cafe is closing after 100 years


Janelle Bitker Dec. 22, 2020 Updated: Dec. 22, 2020 3:43 p.m.


1of2The exterior Far East Cafe, the oldest banquet restaurant in San Francisco Chinatown. It’s closing after 100 years in business.Photo: Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle 2019

2of2Each chandelier is unique at Far East Cafe, one of San Francisco Chinatown’s last remaining banquet restaurants. It’s slated to close at the end of December.Photo: Vivian Johnson / Special to The Chronicle 2018




Far East Cafe, one of San Francisco Chinatown’s oldest restaurants, is permanently closing at the end of the month.

Owner Bill Lee told the Chinatown-focused Wind Newspaper that he had no choice — the 100-year-old restaurant can’t survive on takeout alone. Far East Cafe was hanging on when outdoor dining was allowed, but now Lee said he can’t afford to keep going without a clear end to the pandemic in sight. Malcolm Yeung, executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, confirmed the news.

Opened in 1920, Far East Cafe is also one of the last two remaining banquet restaurants in Chinatown, making it not just a restaurant but a vital community center. It’s a destination for Lunar New Year luncheons, red egg and ginger parties for babies, grand weddings and fundraisers for charities and politicians.

The 15,000-square-foot, two-story space has barely changed over the years, from its ornate antiques to large hanging lanterns to private dining booths separated by wood partitions. Its lengthy menu, too, has remained focused on Cantonese and American Chinese dishes since the 1930s. Lee, who’s had it since 1999, is one of just three owners of the restaurant since its debut.

The E Fu Wonton soup includes shrimp, pork and chicken at Far East Cafe in San Francisco. The banquet restaurant is closing at the end of the year.
Photo: Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle 2019

Of course, those massive events — and busloads of tourists — that normally kept Far East Cafe humming couldn’t happen this year.

For decades, Chinatown had five enormous banquet restaurants but they’ve steadily closed and transformed into higher end establishments. Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s replaced Four Seas. China Live and Eight Tables replaced Gold Mountain. And Empress by Boon, owned by the former executive chef of glitzy international chain Hakkasan, plans to open in the former Empress of China space once indoor dining is allowed.

Chinatown community leaders have expressed concerns about the loss of these banquet restaurants, saying there’s a huge need for large gathering spaces that serve affordable meals — pandemic aside, at least. Once Far East Cafe closes on Dec. 31, that will only leave New Asia, which opened in 1987 and is currently operating as a grocery store because of the pandemic.

Far East Cafe. Closing Dec. 31. Open for takeout. 631 Grant Ave., San Francisco. 415-982-3245



Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com

[thatguy]

I called popcorn a lot. I had a friend who was very into phones. There were a lot of different numbers to call. Sadly, I can't remember any of them.

more than you probably wanted to know about popcorn:
https://www.kqed.org/news/11853891/you-u...ed-to-that

—tg

[Drunk Monk]

more than you probably wanted to know about popcorn:

You're a day late on this one, tg

National Popcorn Day – January 19, 2021

Join us on January 19 as we celebrate National Popcorn Day! Buttered, salted, kettled, drizzled with caramel, popcorn is one of those snacks perfect anytime, anywhere. It’s great on the go, in the theater, or in your living room! Just be prepared to dig some of it out of your teeth.

[Drunk Monk]

Not really a franchise of my youth. Godiva always overpriced - pretty but it didn't deliver that choco rush like the higher grade cacao brands.

Godiva to close all stores, including seven in Bay Area

[/url]
Katie Dowd, SFGATE
Jan. 24, 2021Updated: Jan. 24, 2021 6:49 a.m.
[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfgate.com%2Ffood%2Farticle%2Fgodiva-store-closures-california-sf-15893983.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dt.co%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&text=Godiva%20to%20close%20all%20stores%2C%20including%20seven%20in%20Bay%20Area]

FILE: A display of chocolate treats is displayed at Godiva's just-opened cafe in New York, Tuesday April 16, 2019.
Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press
Chocolatier Godiva is closing all of its Northern American stories, including seven locations around the Bay Area.
The mass closure affects 128 stores in the U.S. and Canada, although its outposts in Europe, the Middle East and China will remain open. The closures will be completed by March, as the stores are expected to stay open during the lucrative Valentine's Day season.
The news comes less than two years after Godiva's planned expansion of 2,000 cafes around the globe by 2025. Americans won't be short on Godiva chocolates, though. The products will continue to be sold online, in grocery stores and other retailers that carry their products.
In a statement, Godiva said in-person shopping "waned as a result of the pandemic," which hastened the "acceleration of changes in consumers’ shopping behavior." Many of its retail locations were inside shopping malls.
The Bay Area locations closing are:
Livermore: San Francisco Premium Outlets
Palo Alto: Stanford Shopping Center
Pleasanton: Stoneridge Mall
San Francisco: Stonestown Galleria
San Francisco: San Francisco Center
Santa Clara: Westfield Valley Fair Mall
Walnut Creek: Broadway Plaza
The company, founded in Belgium in the 1920s, was acquired by Turkish company Yıldız Holding in 2007. Godiva is headquartered in New York City, with its two factories in Brussels and Reading, Penn.

[King Bob]

See's is better. The closing of Schurra's was much sadder.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

See’s is better.

[Drunk Monk]

Donnelly’s or Mutare sayeth the Cruz choco snob.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Best in Santa Cruz

[Drunk Monk]

I went by the Fremont one prior to the pandemic and it was the same. Ghost town. 

That was my go-to for all sorts of random crap - it was near to the office and close to REI and a local Mexican place that made killer fish burritos. I hope that restaurant survives. I'll have to hit it up if I'm in that hood again, but I don't know what might bring me out there now.

My father was asked to invest in the Fry's startup back in the early 1980s. He knew the owners. He was also trying to get them to carry Memron floppy disks.

Christina did John(?) Fry's hair a few times. He was vain, and on his first visit was annoyed that she had no idea who he was, and didn't care.

I imagine vanity is part of what keeps the stores going. Or maybe long-term leases.

It amuses me that the Fry's grocery chain which spawned Fry's Electronics is still viable in Arizona. You can see their ads on the outfield walls at the Diamondback Baseball games.

The Fremont Frys had a killer Tesla coil in the middle. But they never turned it on very much after it opened. Which was lame. 

I used to go there a lot - maybe once every 3 weeks or so - on lunch breaks (really I just wanted to chow on those fish burritos nearby and check out REI). It was a fun store to kill time in because towards the end, when it got to be a big clearance center, you'd never know what you'd find there. It was also the final outlet in Fremont that carried Kung Fu Tai Chi, back when they had that fat newsstand, but that died years ago.

There used to be a Fry's food store on Homestead and Stelling. My dad always used to buy crappy PC hardware that was on sale and then ask me for tech support. I've always had mixed feelings about the chain. I think they should re-open the Campbell space as a paint-ball arena.

--tg

 

Fry’s Electronics permanently closing all stores nationwide
NATIONAL
by: KRON4 Staff
Posted: Feb 23, 2021 / 09:19 PM PST / Updated: Feb 24, 2021 / 07:28 AM PST






SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Fry’s Electronics is going out of business.
KRON4 has confirmed that the iconic Bay Area retailer is permanently closing the doors of all stores nationwide.
The company has changed its website so that it now just shows a goodbye message.
The message says in part,

“After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals across nine states and 31 stores, Fry’s Electronics, Inc. (“Fry’s” or “Company”), has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Company will implement the shut down through an orderly wind down process that it believes will be in the best interests of the Company, its creditors, and other stakeholders.
The Company ceased regular operations and began the wind-down process on February 24, 2021. It is hoped that undertaking the wind-down through this orderly process will reduce costs, avoid additional liabilities, minimize the impact on our customers, vendors, landlords and associates, and maximize the value of the Company’s assets for its creditors and other stakeholders.”

Fry’s has more than two dozen stores mainly across California and Texas.
There are six stores in Northern California, eight in Southern California, eight in Texas, two in Arizona, and one store each in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
There is a unique theme to each store. The Bay Area locations are:

• Fremont: 1893 World’s Fair
  
  
• San Jose: First astronomers, the Mayans, with settings from Chichenitza
  
  
• Sunnyvale: History of Silicon Valley
  

The Concord location was still a “work in progress” and was not yet given a theme.
According to the company website, Fry’s was founded in Sunnyvale in 1985 by the three Fry brothers – John, Randy, and Dave – and Kathy Kolder.
The company aimed to “provide a one-stop-shopping environment for the Hi-Tech Professional,” selling over 50,000 electronic items in each store, which ranged anywhere between 50,000 to 180,000 square feet.

[Greg]

I read one story where the reporter didn't know why they are closing all the stores. Obviously, the reporter hadn't been in one of the stores in the last five years.