[Mick]

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

[Mick]

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

[CardinalSagehen]

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

That's jaw-dropping. And sad. 

Meanwhile, the stock market is at an all-time high. Main Street is in shambles, while Wall Street and FAANG are having a party.

[CardinalSagehen]

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

That's jaw-dropping. And sad. 

Meanwhile, the stock market is at an all-time high. Main Street is in shambles, while Wall Street and FAANG are having a party.

[BostonCard]

Shouldn't this go into the COVID-19 board?

BC

[BostonCard]

Shouldn't this go into the COVID-19 board?

BC

[CompSci87]

Shouldn't this go into the COVID-19 board?

BC

Yes; moved.

[CompSci87]

Shouldn't this go into the COVID-19 board?

BC

Yes; moved.

[Mick]

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

That's jaw-dropping. And sad. 

Meanwhile, the stock market is at an all-time high. Main Street is in shambles, while Wall Street and FAANG are having a party.

Right.  But that was the logical result of the shutdown.  Many millions of people thrown out of work, small businesses decimated, big public companies benefit from taking market share that formerly went to small businesses. You couldn't go into the local stores in my town, but Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target were open for business.  Death knell for Main Street.

[Mick]

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

That's jaw-dropping. And sad. 

Meanwhile, the stock market is at an all-time high. Main Street is in shambles, while Wall Street and FAANG are having a party.

Right.  But that was the logical result of the shutdown.  Many millions of people thrown out of work, small businesses decimated, big public companies benefit from taking market share that formerly went to small businesses. You couldn't go into the local stores in my town, but Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target were open for business.  Death knell for Main Street.

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

[fullmetal]

Very sad.  Seeing the same thing lots of places.  But we can't get back to normal if we don't reduce the case count, and so far there's been insufficient political willpower to do so.

[fullmetal]

Very sad.  Seeing the same thing lots of places.  But we can't get back to normal if we don't reduce the case count, and so far there's been insufficient political willpower to do so.

[Mick]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Let me know when Tadich Grill closes permanently...

[Mick]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Let me know when Tadich Grill closes permanently...

[chrisk]

The US made the choice to have a leaky shutdown that was then relaxed further. China made the choice to have a hard lockdown with few leaks and then were able to resume close to prepandemic levels much quicker.

The people who are unemployed should be upset with their fellow countrymen who couldn’t be contained as much as the politicians who couldn’t or didn’t want to contain them.

The US political system made a different choice than China and we have to live with the consequences. Maybe a stronger safety net would be a compromise.

[chrisk]

The US made the choice to have a leaky shutdown that was then relaxed further. China made the choice to have a hard lockdown with few leaks and then were able to resume close to prepandemic levels much quicker.

The people who are unemployed should be upset with their fellow countrymen who couldn’t be contained as much as the politicians who couldn’t or didn’t want to contain them.

The US political system made a different choice than China and we have to live with the consequences. Maybe a stronger safety net would be a compromise.

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Let me know when Tadich Grill closes permanently...

Too many dollar signs to be on my radar.

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Let me know when Tadich Grill closes permanently...

Too many dollar signs to be on my radar.

[teejers1]

The US made the choice to have a leaky shutdown that was then relaxed further.  China made the choice to have a hard lockdown with few leaks and then were able to resume close to prepandemic levels much quicker. 

The people who are unemployed should be upset with their fellow countrymen who couldn’t be contained as much as the politicians who couldn’t or didn’t want to contain them.

The US political system made a different choice than China and we have to live with the consequences.  Maybe a stronger safety net would be a compromise.

Yeah, I'm so disappointed that our government didn't impose on Americans what the Chinese government did to its citizens.  
Did you see any of those bootlegged videos?

Sorry, I'l take the flawed US approach over China's approach on just about everything.  Of course, my libertarian tendencies - which seem to grow with each passing year - make me more and more suspicious of Big Central Government, in any form . . . 

P.S.  None of the above is to say the US response - particularly at the federal level - was good.  It was not.  It was terrible.  But I still think I'd take that over being dictated to - literally and figuratively - in most important aspects of civilization.

[teejers1]

The US made the choice to have a leaky shutdown that was then relaxed further.  China made the choice to have a hard lockdown with few leaks and then were able to resume close to prepandemic levels much quicker. 

The people who are unemployed should be upset with their fellow countrymen who couldn’t be contained as much as the politicians who couldn’t or didn’t want to contain them.

The US political system made a different choice than China and we have to live with the consequences.  Maybe a stronger safety net would be a compromise.

Yeah, I'm so disappointed that our government didn't impose on Americans what the Chinese government did to its citizens.  
Did you see any of those bootlegged videos?

Sorry, I'l take the flawed US approach over China's approach on just about everything.  Of course, my libertarian tendencies - which seem to grow with each passing year - make me more and more suspicious of Big Central Government, in any form . . . 

P.S.  None of the above is to say the US response - particularly at the federal level - was good.  It was not.  It was terrible.  But I still think I'd take that over being dictated to - literally and figuratively - in most important aspects of civilization.

[chrisk]

China's formal safety net is not as strong as the US's and the family safety net is not as strong as it used to be.

If China had let the virus run the way the US has, the disruption would have been much worse than in the US. The US come on strong initially with its supplemental safety net, but is planning to do very little for the intermediate- or long-term unemployed. What is the plan for the many millions of people whose jobs will not come back in the next 12 months, let alone the next six months?

[chrisk]

China's formal safety net is not as strong as the US's and the family safety net is not as strong as it used to be.

If China had let the virus run the way the US has, the disruption would have been much worse than in the US. The US come on strong initially with its supplemental safety net, but is planning to do very little for the intermediate- or long-term unemployed. What is the plan for the many millions of people whose jobs will not come back in the next 12 months, let alone the next six months?

[Mick]

China's formal safety net is not as strong as the US's and the family safety net is not as strong as it used to be.

If China had let the virus run the way the US has, the disruption would have been much worse than in the US.  The US come on strong initially with its supplemental safety net, but is planning to do very little for the intermediate- or long-term unemployed.  What is the plan for the many millions of people whose jobs will not come back in the next 12 months, let alone the next six months?

Oh I know this answer.  The plan for the many millions of people who are out of work is the same answer as to how professional service firms elect junior people to partner.  I actually said this to a partner panel once

"Here's how we elect people partner.  We take all the non-partners, and we put them on a boat.  After about an hour we're in the middle of the Monterey Bay.  We march them all to the back of the boat and kick them off the back of the boat.  The ones who make it to shore...those become partners.  All the rest fend for themselves."

In other words, not only is there no plan, but the Elites don't really give a collective sxxt.  Not the Rich Elite, the Government Elite, the Liberal Elite, the Conservative Elite, or the Media Elite.  No one cares, not really.  Which is why it was so easy to throw millions out of work in the first place.

[Mick]

China's formal safety net is not as strong as the US's and the family safety net is not as strong as it used to be.

If China had let the virus run the way the US has, the disruption would have been much worse than in the US.  The US come on strong initially with its supplemental safety net, but is planning to do very little for the intermediate- or long-term unemployed.  What is the plan for the many millions of people whose jobs will not come back in the next 12 months, let alone the next six months?

Oh I know this answer.  The plan for the many millions of people who are out of work is the same answer as to how professional service firms elect junior people to partner.  I actually said this to a partner panel once

"Here's how we elect people partner.  We take all the non-partners, and we put them on a boat.  After about an hour we're in the middle of the Monterey Bay.  We march them all to the back of the boat and kick them off the back of the boat.  The ones who make it to shore...those become partners.  All the rest fend for themselves."

In other words, not only is there no plan, but the Elites don't really give a collective sxxt.  Not the Rich Elite, the Government Elite, the Liberal Elite, the Conservative Elite, or the Media Elite.  No one cares, not really.  Which is why it was so easy to throw millions out of work in the first place.

[cctop]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Apparently the rumors of Tommy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They still plan to re-open when possible:

https://hoodline.com/2020/09/despite-gra...-fake-news

While I know some people love the place, frankly I feel like they should have closed 20 years ago.  I really want to like it, and I give it another try every 4-5 years hoping it'll be better this time, but it never is.

But lost in all the discussion about Covid is the difficulty of running a business in San Francisco at all.  There are structural issues that need to be addressed.   In 2019, well before any of this Covid mess started, over 400 restaurants in SF closed.  That's about 10% of all restaurants in the city, and it included some places that had been open for decades such as Jardiniere, Plouf, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lucca Ravioli, and the one I'll miss the most, Farmerbrown.

[cctop]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Apparently the rumors of Tommy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They still plan to re-open when possible:

https://hoodline.com/2020/09/despite-gra...-fake-news

While I know some people love the place, frankly I feel like they should have closed 20 years ago.  I really want to like it, and I give it another try every 4-5 years hoping it'll be better this time, but it never is.

But lost in all the discussion about Covid is the difficulty of running a business in San Francisco at all.  There are structural issues that need to be addressed.   In 2019, well before any of this Covid mess started, over 400 restaurants in SF closed.  That's about 10% of all restaurants in the city, and it included some places that had been open for decades such as Jardiniere, Plouf, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lucca Ravioli, and the one I'll miss the most, Farmerbrown.

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Looks like Google had fake news. Owner says they are not permanently closed. https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Don-...538129.php

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Looks like Google had fake news. Owner says they are not permanently closed. https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Don-...538129.php

[oregontim]

Meanwhile, the disparity between stock markets and everything else is driving me crazy. Not that I am not partaking, TBH. My portfolio is tech driven and doing quite well. But I took macroeconomics, and more important I built a tech business that is still thriving, and I can’t understand how stocks do so well when we have unprecedented unemployment, what seems like half of small retail businesses closed, the gig economy workers in ruin, and poverty and homelessness running rampant. And during the worst pandemic in modern history. 

I do know that stock prices historically correlate with corporate profits and (inversely) with energy costs. Still, the whole fat cat meme comes to mind, entirely different worlds playing out between the comfortable strata buffered from all this, and the growing poverty everywhere else. 

I fear we’re all ignoring the disaster in front of our faces. The concentration of wealth coupled with the increasing power of money in politics has generated a cycle in which wealth buys power and power buys government (the 2017 tax cuts and bailout funds for corporations, for example) and government evolves increasingly into government of the wealthy, for the wealthy, and by the wealthy. 

Back in the 60s I remember listening to a talking head suggesting that the problem of haves vs have-nots was going to pull down the prosperity we’d seen since WWII. As a society, we ignored that, and concentration is way worse than back then. We’ve got a society that has a few rich people behind gates and walls, and masses of poor outside. That can’t sustain itself. 

I really fear for what’s ahead for our children and grandchildren, in a hostile planet, with oligarchs at war with hordes of starving masses. 

I’d love to see the pandemic spark a massive change of power and perception to completely revise the tax structure back to what it was in the 60s and 70s, to tax wealth over (say) $50 million, and tax all inheritance over (say) $10 million per person. 

No, I’m not a raving madman. Not Antifa. I’m a business owner. And if advanced degrees and business ownership make me a member of the elite, then yeah, I am. But I just want to avoid the chaos that will come if we as a society ignore poverty, vastly unequal opportunity, and obscene concentration of wealth.

[oregontim]

Meanwhile, the disparity between stock markets and everything else is driving me crazy. Not that I am not partaking, TBH. My portfolio is tech driven and doing quite well. But I took macroeconomics, and more important I built a tech business that is still thriving, and I can’t understand how stocks do so well when we have unprecedented unemployment, what seems like half of small retail businesses closed, the gig economy workers in ruin, and poverty and homelessness running rampant. And during the worst pandemic in modern history. 

I do know that stock prices historically correlate with corporate profits and (inversely) with energy costs. Still, the whole fat cat meme comes to mind, entirely different worlds playing out between the comfortable strata buffered from all this, and the growing poverty everywhere else. 

I fear we’re all ignoring the disaster in front of our faces. The concentration of wealth coupled with the increasing power of money in politics has generated a cycle in which wealth buys power and power buys government (the 2017 tax cuts and bailout funds for corporations, for example) and government evolves increasingly into government of the wealthy, for the wealthy, and by the wealthy. 

Back in the 60s I remember listening to a talking head suggesting that the problem of haves vs have-nots was going to pull down the prosperity we’d seen since WWII. As a society, we ignored that, and concentration is way worse than back then. We’ve got a society that has a few rich people behind gates and walls, and masses of poor outside. That can’t sustain itself. 

I really fear for what’s ahead for our children and grandchildren, in a hostile planet, with oligarchs at war with hordes of starving masses. 

I’d love to see the pandemic spark a massive change of power and perception to completely revise the tax structure back to what it was in the 60s and 70s, to tax wealth over (say) $50 million, and tax all inheritance over (say) $10 million per person. 

No, I’m not a raving madman. Not Antifa. I’m a business owner. And if advanced degrees and business ownership make me a member of the elite, then yeah, I am. But I just want to avoid the chaos that will come if we as a society ignore poverty, vastly unequal opportunity, and obscene concentration of wealth.

[BostonCard]

While I have thoughts about wealth inequality and taxes, I think it's far enough removed from COVID-19 that we should probably nip that discussion in the bud.

At least discussions about closing storefronts are directly linked to COVID-19.

FWIW, I saw a lot of "for lease" signs when I went to pick up some coffee on Burlingame Ave. today.  I feel awful for the store owners who had to close down, especially the smaller (non-chain) ones.  On the other hand, there have long been complaints by business owners about the rents being charged, and maybe seeing the fragility of these business and how easy property owners could see their stream of revenue evaporate might lead them to a new market equilibirum.  Those storefronts may take longer than usual to fill up, but they won't be empty forever.

BC

[BostonCard]

While I have thoughts about wealth inequality and taxes, I think it's far enough removed from COVID-19 that we should probably nip that discussion in the bud.

At least discussions about closing storefronts are directly linked to COVID-19.

FWIW, I saw a lot of "for lease" signs when I went to pick up some coffee on Burlingame Ave. today.  I feel awful for the store owners who had to close down, especially the smaller (non-chain) ones.  On the other hand, there have long been complaints by business owners about the rents being charged, and maybe seeing the fragility of these business and how easy property owners could see their stream of revenue evaporate might lead them to a new market equilibirum.  Those storefronts may take longer than usual to fill up, but they won't be empty forever.

BC

[Mick]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Apparently the rumors of Tommy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They still plan to re-open when possible:

https://hoodline.com/2020/09/despite-gra...-fake-news

While I know some people love the place, frankly I feel like they should have closed 20 years ago.  I really want to like it, and I give it another try every 4-5 years hoping it'll be better this time, but it never is.

But lost in all the discussion about Covid is the difficulty of running a business in San Francisco at all.  There are structural issues that need to be addressed.   In 2019, well before any of this Covid mess started, over 400 restaurants in SF closed.  That's about 10% of all restaurants in the city, and it included some places that had been open for decades such as Jardiniere, Plouf, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lucca Ravioli, and the one I'll miss the most, Farmerbrown.

Have to agree.  I've been there three times (typically for ball games when my kid's team was playing at Sacred Heart, which is around the corner) and all three times have disappointed.

---

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

Make that 1,301...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve8kTJH-vYM

[Mick]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Apparently the rumors of Tommy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They still plan to re-open when possible:

https://hoodline.com/2020/09/despite-gra...-fake-news

While I know some people love the place, frankly I feel like they should have closed 20 years ago.  I really want to like it, and I give it another try every 4-5 years hoping it'll be better this time, but it never is.

But lost in all the discussion about Covid is the difficulty of running a business in San Francisco at all.  There are structural issues that need to be addressed.   In 2019, well before any of this Covid mess started, over 400 restaurants in SF closed.  That's about 10% of all restaurants in the city, and it included some places that had been open for decades such as Jardiniere, Plouf, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lucca Ravioli, and the one I'll miss the most, Farmerbrown.

Have to agree.  I've been there three times (typically for ball games when my kid's team was playing at Sacred Heart, which is around the corner) and all three times have disappointed.

---

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/0...-pandemic/

More than half of San Francisco storefronts have closed due to the pandemic.  1,200 or so still open, 1,300 or so closed.

Make that 1,301...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve8kTJH-vYM

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Apparently the rumors of Tommy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They still plan to re-open when possible:

https://hoodline.com/2020/09/despite-gra...-fake-news

While I know some people love the place, frankly I feel like they should have closed 20 years ago.  I really want to like it, and I give it another try every 4-5 years hoping it'll be better this time, but it never is.

But lost in all the discussion about Covid is the difficulty of running a business in San Francisco at all.  There are structural issues that need to be addressed.   In 2019, well before any of this Covid mess started, over 400 restaurants in SF closed.  That's about 10% of all restaurants in the city, and it included some places that had been open for decades such as Jardiniere, Plouf, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lucca Ravioli, and the one I'll miss the most, Farmerbrown.

Have to agree.  I've been there three times (typically for ball games when my kid's team was playing at Sacred Heart, which is around the corner) and all three times have disappointed.

To each their own. As an affordable place to sit down for a meal with coworkers, Tommy's works for me. I have no use for those high priced places Willie Brown hangs out at or the fussy places the foodies rave about. If you're going to Tommy's as some sort of destination, you're in the wrong place.

[82 Card]

Google now has Tommy's Joynt marked as permanently closed. Place lasted 73 years. Put's a hole in my lunch choices when it's time to go back to the office.

Apparently the rumors of Tommy's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They still plan to re-open when possible:

https://hoodline.com/2020/09/despite-gra...-fake-news

While I know some people love the place, frankly I feel like they should have closed 20 years ago.  I really want to like it, and I give it another try every 4-5 years hoping it'll be better this time, but it never is.

But lost in all the discussion about Covid is the difficulty of running a business in San Francisco at all.  There are structural issues that need to be addressed.   In 2019, well before any of this Covid mess started, over 400 restaurants in SF closed.  That's about 10% of all restaurants in the city, and it included some places that had been open for decades such as Jardiniere, Plouf, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lucca Ravioli, and the one I'll miss the most, Farmerbrown.

Have to agree.  I've been there three times (typically for ball games when my kid's team was playing at Sacred Heart, which is around the corner) and all three times have disappointed.

To each their own. As an affordable place to sit down for a meal with coworkers, Tommy's works for me. I have no use for those high priced places Willie Brown hangs out at or the fussy places the foodies rave about. If you're going to Tommy's as some sort of destination, you're in the wrong place.

[lex24]

The US made the choice to have a leaky shutdown that was then relaxed further.  China made the choice to have a hard lockdown with few leaks and then were able to resume close to prepandemic levels much quicker. 

The people who are unemployed should be upset with their fellow countrymen who couldn’t be contained as much as the politicians who couldn’t or didn’t want to contain them.

The US political system made a different choice than China and we have to live with the consequences.  Maybe a stronger safety net would be a compromise.

Gosh, if only China had made the decision to do a hard lockdown of wet markets.....

[lex24]

The US made the choice to have a leaky shutdown that was then relaxed further.  China made the choice to have a hard lockdown with few leaks and then were able to resume close to prepandemic levels much quicker. 

The people who are unemployed should be upset with their fellow countrymen who couldn’t be contained as much as the politicians who couldn’t or didn’t want to contain them.

The US political system made a different choice than China and we have to live with the consequences.  Maybe a stronger safety net would be a compromise.

Gosh, if only China had made the decision to do a hard lockdown of wet markets.....