SAN FRANCISCO—On Thursday, July 30, it was announced through a Facebook post that the night club Badlands would be closing for good.
Located in the Castro District, the bar will reopen with completely new ownership later this year, owner Les Natali states in the Facebook post. The name and any details about the bar will be released closer to the opening date. The official reopening will be dependent on any future COVID-19 updates.
Natali refused to make any further comment on the matter. He owns the establishments Toad Hall and Hamburger Mary’s which are down the street from Badlands. According to a Facebook post released on July 7, Toad Hall planned to reopen with outdoor dining, but an official date and plan has yet to be announced.
The bar closed since the first shelter-in-place mandates were put into place in San Francisco because of COVID-19. While its neighbors have begun to open up to the public with outdoor seating and entertainment, Badlands did not.
It has not been publicized whether Natali plans to sell the bar or if he plans to remain involved with its future plans. According to public records, the new owner has yet to be announced, and a transfer of a liquor license has yet to be introduced
According to SF Gay History, the bar originally opened for a year in 1973 as Watergate West, but changed to Badlands in 1975.
The establishment originally served dinners and weekend brunches, but became a bar with “automobile license plates from every state decorating the walls and with several pool tables” by the 1980s, SF Gay History wrote.
Natali officially took over ownership of Badlands in 1999, reopening it as a dance bar in 2000 after a complete remodel.
