SAN FRANCISCO— San Francisco’s institution Tommy’s Joynt announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, that they plan to reopen their restaurant on Oct. 29 with reduced hours and a reduced menu.
The well known Hofbrau that sits at Van Ness Avenue and Geary Street closed their door on March 22 due to the shelter-in-place order, and said they would reopen once it passed. In the meantime, they delivered their food with UberEats for a while, but customers started suspecting that they were permanently closing as a rumor started going around and their sign was vandalized. In an interview with Hoodline in September, owner Chris Henry denied the rumors and called them “fake news.”
The restaurant was founded in 1947 by Tommy Harris and Al Pollack, and it has become one of the city’s longest standing institutions.Customers describe it as having a cafeteria-style service with a bar inside. Guests can order a variety of sandwiches and meats. Tommy’s Joynt mission, according to their website, is to keep the reputation that their founders built, which is “hot food and cold drink at a price that parries our atmosphere.” On occasions, the institution has seen a long line of customers waiting to be served. The restaurant says their long-time employees can serve a big group in less than 30 minutes.
Tommy’s Joynt has not specified how their operations will look like when they reopen, but in their voicemail they said they were putting things together. They are also preparing special packages for the holidays.
“We’re putting together Thanksgiving day to-go packages, look for those for pre-order soon,” said the voicemail. “We will be open on Thanksgiving day. We will follow city and state guidelines for service. We hope to be able to have many of you here in some way on Thanksgiving. Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you soon.”
