Jim’s Restaurant — the greasy spoon that’s stood vigil on its shifting stretch of Mission Street for decades — has thus far resisted the never-ending march toward modernity. The bold WordArt-style lettering on its signage, the extended accordion awning, and the wood-planked facade all feel delightfully unmarred by a focus group.
Loyal customers wouldn’t have it any other way, but all good things come to an end. Right?
Not if new owner Aleks Zavaleta has her way. The Mission District native, who grew up just a few blocks away from the beloved diner, relaunched Jim’s earlier this month after purchasing it from its retiring owners and has big plans for the future. For now, however, she knows that the restaurant’s success is dependent on keeping its spirit intact.
Regulars have prosaic concerns: They want the coffee hot, the bacon crispy, and the restaurant’s signature green salsa to stay exactly the same.
Zavaleta is retaining longtime chef Beto Zareta behind the griddle and the menu is laser-focused on serving breakfast classics. And she’s keeping her hands off the salsa recipe. That is if you get there early enough to get a portion.
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Around noon on a recent Tuesday, the lunchtime rush was just filling in, but the restaurant had already sold out of the garlic-forward concoction customers lovingly (if not preciously) pour over omelets, hash browns, and some of the city’s best chicken-fried steak.
By the next morning, Zareta was busy whipping up another batch to satisfy the salsa’s voracious fans.
“When it came out that I bought the place, I had friends texting me to make sure we were keeping the green salsa,” Zavaleta said with a chuckle, before turning serious. “It is staying.”
Rather than adding new ingredients to the sauce, Zavaleta is attempting to infuse the business with a new workforce development ethos. Aside from being a newbie restaurant owner, she’s also the executive director of the nonprofit Mission Language and Vocational School and hopes to turn Jim’s into a training ground for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs.
“Latino community members go to work at restaurants, and they get put in the dish pit. They get paid minimum wage,” Zavaleta said. “We want to change that.”
Now, high-performing students at the school will have a chance to rise through the ranks at Jim’s, which may include opportunities to introduce new dishes or make changes to its business operations or strategy.
Tracy Gallardo, a longtime Jim’s customer and MLVS board member, said she’s happy to see Jim’s support for the community. “It’s the best breakfast. The best feeling. The best vibes,” she said. “And now, you’re allowing up-and-coming chefs to dream.”
To be fair, there have been some updates to the interior. To the disappointment of some, tables and chairs have replaced the fading black leather vinyl seats looking out on Mission Street. A handful will return, Zavaleta promises.
Longtime customer Nelly Servellon said she was brought to tears when she discovered a native of the Mission bought the restaurant. “I still get choked up a bit,” Servellon said. “I just couldn’t believe that it was staying local.”
Photos of regulars, which used to hang near the register, are now affixed inside the bar’s acrylic countertop. There’s also been a glow-up of some menu items, including the addition of café de olla, a Mexican-style coffee spiced with cinnamon and star anise that Zareta prepares in 10-gallon buckets daily.
Not all the changes have gone unremarked. Sandra Jackson, who has been eating at Jim’s for more than 30 years, said she noticed a difference in the maple syrup after Zavaleta took over. But overall, she said, the restaurant is warmer and more inviting than ever, and the old-school French toast still soaks up the new stuff.
In the coming months, Zavaleta wants to expand Jim’s hours of operation, opening for brunch on Sundays and, eventually, for dinner service on Friday nights when the menu will shift to more upscale fare as a way to let those new chefs flex their culinary creativity.
If you let her daydream, she talks about using the space as a place to host events and create a new third place in a neighborhood that has long suffered an outflow of natives. Zavaleta too moved to Oakland roughly two decades ago.
“We’re going to explore and produce so much more than just breakfast,” Zavaleta said. “This can become so much more than just a restaurant.”
To celebrate the change in ownership, Zavaleta threw a party that drew dozens to the storefront earlier this month. In an area that continues bleeding a string of longstanding staples like Aslam’s Rasoi and Monk’s Kettle, keeping an anchor restaurant in the Mission family is a welcome contrast.
“It feels like a victory, not losing something so special,” Zavaleta said. “It feels like we’re coming home.”