Can local food transform touristy Ghirardelli Square?
When Square Pie Guys announced its next expansion location of Ghirardelli Square, some fans were surprised. The hip, very online Detroit-style pizza outfit doesn’t exactly align with images of a touristy development near Fisherman’s Wharf.
But Ghirardelli Square has changed dramatically over the past decade, ever since developer Jamestown bought the retail portion in 2013. The company, known for curating famous food halls such as Chelsea Market in New York, wanted to do the same thing with San Francisco’s historic square: make it a destination for locals, anchored by excellent restaurants.
“If you build a place for tourists, locals won’t come,” said Jamestown President Michael Phillips.
To accomplish that, Phillips said his strategy was drawing local small businesses that feel uniquely San Francisco. He quickly brought on beloved food nonprofit La Cocina for an extended pop-up, which set the tone for choices to come. Then arrived San Francisco Brewing Co. and the Cheese School. Pop-ups cycled in and out, from a boba tea shop to wood-fired bagel outfit Daily Driver.
Latin spot Barrio opened last year, becoming a quick go-to for margaritas on its sunny patio. But the biggest game-changer arrived in 2019: Palette Tea House, the stunning dim sum destination from the team behind Koi Palace, brought serious food credentials to the square.
“The parlance is that Ghirardelli Square is very touristy, but there’s a huge difference in the vibe and the feel in the square versus down the wharf,” said Square Pie Guys co-owner Marc Schechter.
Locals who haven’t visited in years might remember the 100,000-square-foot complex as being nearly half empty in 2013. Now Ghirardelli Square is fully leased. Not all tenants have been announced, however, and Phillips said to expect more openings in the summer.
Square Pie Guys takes over one of the most prominent remaining spaces at 3,300 square feet, plus a 1,000-square-foot patio. Co-owner Danny Stoller said he hopes San Francisco residents will regularly come to dine and enjoy the sweeping views, but even if they don’t, he said, the location is advantageous for another reason: its delivery radius.
“It would suck if people could never rebrand (Ghirardelli Square) in their minds because it’s genuinely an amazing place to be,” he said. “It’s gorgeous.”
Despite Jamestown’s efforts, business owners say that before the pandemic, the majority of foot traffic still came from tourists. That changed dramatically in 2020 — but the shutdowns came with a silver lining.
“The really neat thing about the pandemic and all of this is that we got to see a lot more locals,” said Jeanine Egan, owner of the Cheese School, which operates a wine bar at Ghirardelli Square. “Now we’re seeing more people coming in from out of state, but for the most part, it’s locals and folks driving in from the greater Bay Area.”