The Monk’s Kettle, a popular craft beer gastropub in San Francisco’s Mission District, is moving to Oakland after 16 years.
In a 1,000 word goodbye letter, co-owner Christian Albertson didn’t blamed a bike lane, homelessness, drugs, the pandemic, progressive politics, or crime. Instead, he wrote, tech workers who eat for free at the office and the rise of food delivery apps are squarely to blame for the move across the Bay Bridge and the rise of a boring San Francisco bar scene.
Albertson reflected on what he calls the seismic shifts the neighborhood and industry have undergone since the establishment opened in 2007. Back then, he said the local craft beer scene was almost non-existent, social media was in its infancy (the bar even had a MySpace page), and the Mission was filled with restaurant workers and artists.
But around 2011, food delivery services like Postmates began disrupting the business, with delivery sales now accounting for a third of The Monk’s Kettle’s revenue, Albertson said in the letter. Postmates did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
