“It’s decimated down here. I mean, the whole time, you’re sort of watching this crumble happen,” Mesnick said about the current state of business around SoMa and the FiDi districts…
“I think the fundamental scary thing for downtown, SoMa and to some by the Moscone Center is just the lack of business customers and the day-to-day people who are the bread and butter of the cafes and places that haven’t even reopened,” said Laurie Thomas, the executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. “So much of these downtown restaurants, and certainly the ones by Moscone Center, are really dependent on business travel. I think we’re going to need the vaccine before the state’s going to let us have conventions.”…
“At the beginning of the pandemic, [restaurant closures in downtown were at] about 50%, which was shocking,” said Emily Abraham, public policy manager at San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. “[We] at the chamber were very concerned for all our members and all of the industries in the city. I think it’s going to be a steep, uphill battle.”
