Some of San Francisco’s underserved business corridors are about to get a boost, thanks to five new liquor licenses awarded to restaurants by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control today. Type 87 liquor licenses are made possible by AB 471, which was championed by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and signed into law last year. With three in the Bayview and two in the Sunset, the 2018 recipients are:
- Java Beach Coffee Roasters: 3620 Wawona Street
- Word A Café: 5114 Third Street
- Old Skool Café: 1429 Mendell Street
- Corinne Chuitang Pusawong: 2244 Taraval Street
- Bayview Pasta: 5009 Third Street
“I’m excited for the neighborhoods that’ll see more jobs, foot traffic and social spaces,” said Ting. “It’s also an opportunity for a new generation of restauranteurs who previously couldn’t afford a license.”
A Type 87 liquor license differs from a traditional one (Type 47) in the following ways:
- Location: Restaurants must be located in: the Sunset, along Noriega and Taraval Streets; the Excelsior, on Ocean Avenue and Mission Street; Visitacion Valley, on Leland Street and Bayshore Avenue; the Portola’s San Bruno Avenue; and the Bayview’s Third Street.
- Affordability: Cost is about $15,000 instead of the nearly $300,000 that conventional liquor licenses cost on the secondary market. Restaurants in outer neighborhoods typically lack the revenue to recoup such a large investment, placing them at a competitive disadvantage.
- One-Time Use: These licenses cannot be re-sold or transferred. If a business closes or relocates, it is canceled and a new one is created in its place.
Before Ting’s legislation was enacted, new liquor licenses hadn’t been issued in San Francisco in over 80 years. New restaurants and bars typically have to buy their liquor licenses from other businesses that have closed or want to sell their license.
AB 471 allows for 30 Type 87 licenses total, five awarded per year until 2023. When more than five businesses apply for one in any given year, a random drawing is held. The first wave of restaurants were approved last year. Today’s lottery was the second wave.
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