Tablehopper has an update on the opening date for the much-anticipated Precita Park Cafe. Looks like the doors will open for the initial shakedown cruise on Friday:
Getting close: ~PRECITA PARK CAFE~ is due to soft open this Friday December 16th in Bernal Heights (the project was mentioned a while ago in tablehopper). It will be open seven days a week, from 7am-8pm. The hours of operation will be longer than at their other cafes Dolores Park Cafe and Duboce Park Cafe because Precita Park Cafe will eventually have dinner service (look for hours to extend until 10pm in the New Year).
Thanks to all who brought this to my attention!
UPDATE 16 December: The Precita Park Cafe opened at 7 am this morning. I dropped by last night for the opening party, and it was grand. The interior is spacious, airy, and nicely decorated, and the food was very good. Very exciting.
PHOTO: Rebecca Kinney at Tablehopper. Below, Telstar Logistics
Bernalwood 
Lookin good. Nice paint job though it’s too bad they took all of those plants off the roof.
So exciting! Thanks for the update.
Very exciting! I’ve heard some excellent jams coming out of the cafe on nights and weekends. Are they planning on having live music?
That’s cool, but what’s the deal with the black bear climbing into/escaping out of the upper-left window?!
I heard that it’s from Vancouver and it was looking for Burrito Justice.
No? Got a better explanation?
Hey, bear, La Lengua’s that way! (Points west)
Dinner service?! Please, PLEASE let my boys like something on the menu.
Great spot for a cafe! Really close to one of my favorite art galleries in the area on San Bruno. I will most definitely be ordering chili-laden foods here if they serve them.
Yayy! Welcome to the neighborhood. Great to hear they are planning to stay open till 10.
I hope they have a great breakfast sandwich!
Had a preview last night. The PPC looks great and the staff is super-friendly. They open in about 10 minutes (7am Friday 12/16) and are fully stocked to make us happy and satiated.
They are also strong supporters of local growers, businesses etc… So we should put some effort into making sure people know that they should stop in and check it out.
I went this morning. They’re working out the kinks, of course, but I love the place. The atmosphere is great, I like the menu, and everyone who was working today was super friendly and excited. I love it when it is obvious that someone loves their job. I’m so excited for the neighborhood. Also I met a couple of neighbors while I was there!
nina beware of the neighbors…. they bite and play loud rock upstairs til the early morning
I went again today and thought I’d share these two observations. You guys all probably knew this already…
I go to Park Bench a lot, and Charlie’s once in awhile. Both places have their regulars. I didn’t see *any* of the people that I generally see at those two places when I was at PPC any of the 4 times since Friday. I did hear one person at the playground say that he wasn’t willing to wait in the long line at PPC for coffee, so he went to Park Bench instead. What this suggests to me is that the people who go to Park Bench and Charlie’s will continue to go there because they like it for some reason, maybe for lower prices, maybe for more elbow room, whatever it may be. But they don’t seem interested in what PPC has to offer. Because of that, PPC hasn’t taken any business away from those two cafes. Instead, everyone else in the neighborhood who never set foot in those two places, for whatever reason, now have a place to go that is closer to home. So while I was worrying about how this new cafe would effect our long-standing locals, the real question is how is this cafe going to effect other similar SF cafes and coffee shops that are nearby, like boogaloos or just for you or philz (is it wrong to compare philz to PPC’s coffee bar? I’m not a coffee drinker, apologizes if that was offensive, I know philz is something special..and I suppose boogaloos and just for you have more food options so maybe that also isn’t a fair comparison, but hopefully you get the point i’m trying to make).
Second observation is how the cafe might change Precita Park. I noticed that the playground was more full than normal, and that the general demographic of people at the playground was different. To be blunt, and probably offensive, it was full of affluent looking white folk, my family included! Will this bunch demand park upgrades etc now that they want to use it more than they used to? Are the playground regulars going to feel like they are being pushed out?
I disagree, I spoke to Charlie and he says that both his business and the Park Bench Cafe were down in business this past weekend.
He was saddened by the thought that he has been part of the community for 10 years and has hosted all of the Precita Park meetings for the community for all of this time and seeing his clients going to the new cafe. He was hoping for loyaty and hopes this is just people checking out the new place but will continue their business with his cafe.
I also heard business was really low at Park Bench and Charlie’s. There are many regulars that decided to leave and go to precita park cafe. The neighborhood needs to keep in mind that those businesses are family owned and they need the support of the neighborhood to stay in business. The owners of the coffee shop actually work, not like ppc where the owner is not there and owns another two successful coffee shops. I know the owner put a lot of money into precita park cafe but that’s because she has the money. I hope the neighborhood will continue to support the smaller businesses because I’m sure their businesses are down by 50% after the opening or precita park cafe. If they close, that means the owners as well as the workers there will all be out of jobs.
p.s. the prices are even lower for what you’re getting both at park bench and charlie’s
I realized after I wrote that comment that it was a bit too broad and general. Of course SOME of the regulars, me included, are choosing PPC over the other two. But my main point is that a lot of PPC traffic is from neighborhood folks who rarely set foot in Park Bench or Charlie’s. So instead of PPC taking 100% of the business away from the other guys, they really are only taking a small portion away of their existing customer base, because the customer base for each place is a different pool of people, for the most part.
I object to the idea that we need to support a neighborhood business just because it is in the neighborhood and family/owner-run. A week before PPC opened up, I ordered a bagel from Park Bench with avocado on it. The avocado was hard, too hard to even chew. I mentioned it to the guy who replaced Jimi, and his response to me was “Some people like it that way. Sorry.” … if I’m going to spend any money on something that I could just as easily make at home, then I am going to pay the person who gives it to me with the best service. That response was not the best service. What about, “Oh no! I didn’t realize, let me refund you the $1.50 you paid for the avocado.” or “Let me see if I have a ripe avocado, here’s another side at no charge, sorry about that” or “All of the avocados are the same, I’m sorry you didn’t like it, can I get you something else instead?” Or when I ordered it, how about “The avocados aren’t ripe today” and then not even go through the whole process! Also he repainted the place to look like a teenager’s game room. Not inviting. And I hate the candy dispenser. Every tantrum my kid has as a result of me having to say “no candy” is another vote not to set foot in there. If they want to be supported by the neighborhood, they need to provide things the neighborhood wants. Good service, good food, kid-friendly.
I feel bad for Charlie. He is a nice guy and works really hard, I know. But if we go back to the idea of best customer service, then they lose, too. His brother is not so friendly, and I often feel like I am inconveniencing him when I try to order from him. I will gladly walk the extra 3 blocks and pay the extra money to have a nicer experience.
Ooh, I just had a great idea for Charlie. He could put himself on the map by serving a real Gyro. You can’t get them anywhere in San Francisco. Not the way they’re meant to be, with the pillowy pita and processed-lamb cone on a spit.
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Nina…thank God that ppc is here and you can spend your millions in it … I am sure that park bench cafe and Charlie’s cafe owners will be happy after they get rid of customers like you… Customers that are cheap looking for free stuff … As for me I’ll give my support to Charlie’s and park bench ….
I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Why do I deserve to be insulted by an anonymous person? I was listing a few possible solutions towards better customer service. If you can think of others, please share. I don’t need free things, you’ll notice one of my suggestions was that he tell me upfront that he had no ripe avocados. Why should I pay for something that is inedible? It isn’t my fault he served me bad food.
Also, if I were cheap, I wouldn’t be spending my millions at a more expensive cafe down the block.
I’m pretty sure Park Bench and Charlie’s would not be happy to get rid of any paying customers. If they are, then they have bigger problems than PPC.
f*ck ppc all support to Charlie’s and park bench local business for 10 years …Nina wtf you saying ?
Ok….So your avocadoes weren’t perfect one day…does that mean your avocadoes weren’t perfect every other day you went in? So the gentlemen that helped you….it must have been Ramy???, he wasn’t nice to you that day did you ever ask why? Maybe he was just having a bad day….As for me, I have two kids and without me even asking Ramy knows to already cut the crust off their P&J sandwiches…even gives them free bananas sometimes. He’s super friendly with us …
.Maybe the problem is with you, not with Park Bench Cafe and charlie’s….not only did you complain about Park Bench Cafe but you also complained about Charlie’s Brother “Nadeem”…NADEEM? Really….. never once have I seen him in a bad mood and he knows I am not always a regular customer. Sometimes even nicer than Charlie…
Going back to Park Bench….me and almost everyone else I’ve talked to loves the color combo, the cleaner floors, the decor, the lights, EVERYTHING!!! Sorry nina but if that was the look that you liked, then you are one of few… definately more classy than the teenage arcade room you are talking about…and as for the vending machine….will a quarter worth or m&ms really hurt your kids??? It’snot even enough m&ms for your kids to get a sugar rush….
It’s up tp you where you decide to go but before we judge others and wonder why they are not friendly to us….we should judge ourselves. ….if we don’t smile and demand, then of course….we will get the same response….these coffee shop owners have families to feed and the reason they may not be happy at times is because they are struggling to provide for their families, just like millions of other americans….take time to talk with them and you won’t be as quick to judge…
Hope you’ll take the time to think about it and support them again…..because if ppc loses you, she has two other coffee shops, and a full-time job as a lawyer to support her.
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