And a posse from our SFTGG will check it out when they attend a performance of the ODC's The Velveteen Rabbit next Friday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
By Nico Madrigal-Yankowski, Food ReporterNov 26, 2025 - SFGATE
Doom loop negativity and a delay in return to office mandates over the past few years put a damper on the main financial sectors of San Francisco and its small businesses. But now, a part of downtown San Francisco is actually on the rise, as evidenced by numerous food businesses that opened there this past year.
San Francisco’s Yerba Buena neighborhood saw 30 new small food businesses open or sign leases in 2025, according to a news release by the nonprofit Yerba Buena Partnership. A monthly party that brought in musical acts such as Toro y Moi and Rebecca Black helped that growth, spurring $27.9 million in spending. Downtown First Thursdays, as it’s known, was just renewed for another year.
“We’re seeing a lot of energy happen in the neighborhood — lots of office leasing, convention activations and increased foot traffic,” Yerba Buena Partnership executive director Scott Rowitz told SFGATE in a phone interview. “All the conditions are starting to shape up for a really perfect time to run a small business in the neighborhood.”
After years of struggles, this section of downtown San Francisco is thriving
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