San Francisco neighborhood restaurant closes after 21 years
Last Sunday, cozy Cole Valley restaurant Reverie Cafe served its final cappuccinos and breakfast burritos. The 21-year-old cafe closed over a dispute with its landlord, as first reported by Eater.
In a letter posted outside the restaurant that was shared on Twitter, owner Roger Soudah accused his landlord of being unethical.
“Even with paying double the fair market rent and willing to continue to accept that, further conditions outside the realm of possibility, reasonableness and decency have made it impossible to continue,” Soudah alleged in the letter. “Once again, they’ve tried to push me against the wall by waiting till the last month of my lease to present their non-negotiable terms and conditions.”
Soudah had hoped to extend his current lease for six months “to situate my staff and to be able to shut down in a respectful manner,” he continued in the letter, but was allegedly denied by the landlord. SFGATE was unable to reach Soudah for comment in time for publication.
According to the San Francisco Examiner, building owners Claro and Mercedes Samson denied Soudah’s claims, claiming that their most recent rent offer was lower than what Soudah paid before the pandemic. (Soudah, however, refuted this to the Examiner, saying that the recent offer was a triple-net lease, which requires tenants to pay a property’s operating expenses in addition to base rent.)
“I extend my heartfelt thank you for all of your support through the last twenty-one years,” Soudah’s letter continued. “We have shared many meals, raised many glasses, raised many kids, made many friends and lost some. We married people, celebrated birthdays, funded schools, and charities, supported campaigns but most importantly we created and maintained a community in a time when it has been most needed.”
On social media, San Franciscans lamented the loss of Reverie Cafe.
“Reverie Café was one of my faves long before I became Cole Valley’s Supervisor,” shared District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman on Twitter. “Its closure after 21 years is a real loss to the neighborhood and a worrying development as vacant storefronts spread in neighborhoods across San Francisco.”
Last Sunday, cozy Cole Valley restaurant Reverie Cafe served its final cappuccinos and breakfast burritos. The 21-year-old cafe closed over a dispute with its landlord, as first reported by Eater.
In a letter posted outside the restaurant that was shared on Twitter, owner Roger Soudah accused his landlord of being unethical.
“Even with paying double the fair market rent and willing to continue to accept that, further conditions outside the realm of possibility, reasonableness and decency have made it impossible to continue,” Soudah alleged in the letter. “Once again, they’ve tried to push me against the wall by waiting till the last month of my lease to present their non-negotiable terms and conditions.”
Soudah had hoped to extend his current lease for six months “to situate my staff and to be able to shut down in a respectful manner,” he continued in the letter, but was allegedly denied by the landlord. SFGATE was unable to reach Soudah for comment in time for publication.
According to the San Francisco Examiner, building owners Claro and Mercedes Samson denied Soudah’s claims, claiming that their most recent rent offer was lower than what Soudah paid before the pandemic. (Soudah, however, refuted this to the Examiner, saying that the recent offer was a triple-net lease, which requires tenants to pay a property’s operating expenses in addition to base rent.)
“I extend my heartfelt thank you for all of your support through the last twenty-one years,” Soudah’s letter continued. “We have shared many meals, raised many glasses, raised many kids, made many friends and lost some. We married people, celebrated birthdays, funded schools, and charities, supported campaigns but most importantly we created and maintained a community in a time when it has been most needed.”
On social media, San Franciscans lamented the loss of Reverie Cafe.
“Reverie Café was one of my faves long before I became Cole Valley’s Supervisor,” shared District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman on Twitter. “Its closure after 21 years is a real loss to the neighborhood and a worrying development as vacant storefronts spread in neighborhoods across San Francisco.”
