“My office has been working hard to sustain the vibrancy and safety of the Mission corridor, and that includes supporting beloved small businesses like Bruno’s,” Ronen said in a statement provided to The Standard. “I’m proud to support their efforts to reopen and return to the neighborhood.”
The license Bruno’s is seeking is a “Type 90” license, which was created under the Entertainment Venue Recovery Act, or SB 793, and designed to help live music venues easily get liquor licenses.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who authored the legislation, said helping keep music venues open is important to the city’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
“Live music venues like Bruno’s keep communities vibrant,” Wiener told The Standard on Wednesday. “I’m thrilled the law we enacted helped deliver for a business that will help keep San Francisco fun.”
Without the new type 90 license, Villa-Lobos said Bruno’s would likely have to pay around $250,000 for an existing Type 48 license from another business because the club is located in a “Restricted Use District,” which prevents any new Type 48 licenses from being issued.
“And that’s easier said than done,” Villa-Lobos said.
New Type 90 licenses cost $19,000, according to Ben Van Houten, a business development manager in the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
Previously, Bruno’s was operating as a nightclub serving alcohol under a liquor license meant for restaurants, which caps alcohol sales at 50% of its total revenue. The bar closed in the early days of the pandemic, but having the improper license and issues getting a new one kept the bar shuttered, according to Villa-Lobos.
“I’m for anything that’ll liven up Mission Street,” resident Ali Aldridge said as she waited for the 14 Muni bus in front of the boarded-up nightclub. “Since the pandemic, there’s been a dichotomy between Valencia and Mission streets. Valencia just gets way more action.”
Marcus Miles, who grew up in San Francisco and now lives in the Inner Richmond, said he’d be interested in going back to Bruno’s once it reopens. Miles said he remembers going to the nightclub in 2012 for a party and that, even though it’s a smaller venue, nearly 100 people would pack inside Bruno’s on busy nights.