Some Bay Area Businesses Close in Anticipation of Storm

Businesses across the Bay Area temporarily closed on Wednesday in preparation for expected severe storms and potential flooding. Noting safety concerns, several businesses posted on social media about their preemptive closures, including San Francisco’s Bar Crudo, Cafe Suspiro, Convivium Enoteca, Handroll Project, Outta Sight and the Rite Spot. 

Fayes Video and Espresso Bar in the Mission closed at 1 p.m. “to allow [...] staff adequate time to get home safely,” according to the business’s Twitter. Liholiho Yacht Club in Lower Nob Hill announced on Instagram that the restaurant will close early after its 8 p.m. seating tonight.

Piglet & Co, which opened in the Mission District just last month, posted on Instagram to let customers know their reservations for tonight would be rescheduled. “In anticipation of the severe weather for Wednesday, we’ve decided to close today for the safety of our guests and team,” the owners wrote. 

Berkeley bakery Pie Society taped a handwritten note to its door and posted to social media that it plans to close on Thursday and reopen on Friday. The music and live performance venue Freight & Salvage, also in Berkeley, rescheduled its planned evening of entertainment. 

The Institute of Contemporary Art will remain closed until Friday. Elsewhere, Hula Hoops in South San Francisco, AlaMar and Sunday Bakeshop in Oakland and Sunnyvale’s Hanabusa Cafe all closed ahead of Wednesday’s storm. 

These closures come as businesses are still recovering from widespread damage from last weekend’s storms. KRON4 reported that businesses along El Camino Real, particularly in San Carlos, experienced standing water following the New Year’s Eve deluge.

Popular Mission izakaya Rintaro, which withstood major flooding over the weekend, is asking for donations through a GoFundMe campaign. In a show of support, many fellow restaurateurs have shared Rintaro’s GoFundMe. Nearby on Folsom St., Stable Cafe also flooded during the same storm. 

Other businesses plan to remain open, including San Francisco’s Bar Part Time, Pinhole Coffee and Uma Casa, Royal Pin Donuts in South San Francisco, San Leandro’s Koolfi Creamery and Fremont’s Afghan Awasana Kabob. Rinse, a laundry and dry cleaning service that operates throughout the Bay Area, informed customers by text that it will remain open. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday just before noon. The Standard will continue to monitor the impacts of the storms as they develop.