A BELOVED coffee shop in California and rival to the multinational chain Starbucks, is sadly closing its doors this week.
HRD Coffee Shop, a San Francisco staple dating back to 1953, is set to abruptly close this Friday following various issues, prompting the owner to issue a frightful warning.
HRD, which is located at 521A Third St., used to be home to the US Social Security Administration's HR department during World War II.
Sydney Saidyan, who owns the restaurant owner through Saidyan Group, spoke with The San Francisco Standard leading up to the closure.
Saudyan said: "The landlord did not play the right game with us during the pandemic.
"We had a major problem; we could not even put outdoor dining; we lost nearly $20,000 every month.
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"At the end, we just couldn't keep the doors open because of the lack of support from the city and the landlord.
"Unfortunately, the city does not see us as a partner."
According to the SF Standard, although the restaurant catered to the MLB's San Francisco Giants and other big companies, it still wasn't able to remain open.
Chinese immigrant Ben Chan was the man who opened up the coffee shop once the war ended. He remained in charge of the business until 2009.
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Then, in 2009, Chan's nephew David Yeung and partner Joanna Banks (Yeung's partner) took the reigns with the help of Saidyan. And by 2013, by selling a variety of Chinese and Mexican food items, the business thrived.
But now, 10 years later, the shop's owner revealed that two of the main reasons that led to the restaurant's closure is that he wasn't able to build a parklet (sidewalk extension) or offer outdoor diner amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
He blames the landlord, the city and its strict parking rules, and an illegal dumping area located nearby.
Saidyan, who admitted being open to relocating HRD to another California location, added, "I would love to remain in San Francisco as a business. But the question is, would any sane person?"
"I'm a custodian of that man's dream in 1953. I am proud to say I'm leaving it with my head high."
In response to news of the closure, some people took to Reddit to remember the days they ate at the restaurant.
"Bummer. Loved these guys. That area of the city is pretty low traffic these days though, so not surprising," one person wrote.
Another said, "Thought the place was overrated to sad to see another business gone. But that area is dead these days unless there's a Giants game."
"Noooo! Love those guys. I used to work across the street. I’m honestly surprised they made it this long. That area of SOMA died during the pandemic and never came back," wrote a third.
The closure is one of many in San Francisco in recent weeks.
Nordstrom Rack will close its downtown San Francisco store on Market Street July 1.
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It comes after Westfield Mall announced earlier this month it was ceasing operations in downtown San Francisco, pointing the finger at “rampant criminal activity.”
