SAN FRANCISCO—A popular Bay Area bakery called Specialty’s is permanently closing all its locations on Tuesday, May 19, after 33 years in business. Founded in San Francisco in 1987 by CEOs Dawn Sandnes and Craig Saxton, the locally owned business was well-known for their homemade sandwiches and giant cookies. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a major financial strain on the chain, and their website states that financial difficulties have left the business no choice but to close all of their 50 locations across California, Illinois and Washington state.
“Specialty’s Café & Bakery is closing after 33 years of business. Current market conditions attributed to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place policies have decimated company revenues. Our last day of operations will be Tuesday, May 19th, 2020.” The statement on Specialty’s website reads.
Specialty’s was a regular lunch spot for many locals and office workers in its locations in downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland. The business frequently catered office lunch meetings, and had many locals regularly stop by during their lunch breaks. But when local offices and businesses closed up in March, Specialty’s lost their usual customer base as a result, which caused them to take a major financial hit due to the loss of their main source of revenue.
Specialty’s has offered to cancel and refund any orders that were placed for Wednesday, May 20th and beyond. Tuesday May 19 is their closing date, and will be the last day to purchase their goods.
“We sincerely thank you for your business and support over the years.” The company’s statement concludes on their website.
