Episode 20: Blue Plate SF

Listen Now | VOC Producers | Share

A transcript, lightly edited for clarity and length, follows.

Show Guests: Jeff Trenam, Owner, and Shannon Walter the manager of Blue Plate SF

Voices of the Community Introduction: Welcome to voices of the community which explores critical issues facing Northern California communities. We introduce you to the voices of community thought leaders and change makers who are working on solutions that face our fellow individual community members neighborhoods cities and our region. This is George Koster your host. 

Series Introduction: This episode is part of our series exploring COVID-19’s impact on nonprofits and small businesses in San Francisco. We started the series back in April 2020 during the height of the first phase of the Covid 19 pandemic and the Shelter In Place requirements. Over these past nine months, the Covid-19 pandemic and economic meltdown have wiped out millions of jobs in both the nonprofit and small business sectors as well as shuttered tens of thousands of small business operations.

The goal of the series is to shine a spotlight on the nonprofits, small businesses, and their staff who are struggling to deal with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on their operations, services and sustainability. The series of interviews we conducted features voices from a cross-section of organizations that make up the fabric of our community.  Each of them brings a unique perspective on how they and we are dealing with the issues facing our community during the global pandemic and economic depression.

Show Guest Shannon: And at that point in time, we were only doing takeout and delivery, and that was mid-March after the shelter in place shut down happened. And so, we had to totally transform what was the normal for us and having the carpet pulled out for anyone in any business that drastically changed it, and you had to adapt. 

Episode Intro - Show Host George: In this episode, our featured voices are Jeff Trenam, Owner, and Shannon Walter the manager of Blue Plate SF a restaurant located on Mission and Valencia Streets in San Francisco.  The Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn have hit our neighborhood restaurants very hard. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association has estimated that Fifty Percent of restaurants will be lost from the pandemic. Due to increasing coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, the City of San Francisco has paused its reopening plans that were scheduled this past Tuesday, November 3rd. The plan was to expand capacity such as increasing indoor dining to 50%, and now it will remain at 25%.

Jeff and Shannon at Blue Plate SF are a wonderful example of small businesses reinventing their operations to adapt to the almost daily changes of the pandemic and its impact on our community and economy.

Show Host George: I'm joined remotely via zoom by Shannon and JT from blue plate San Francisco restaurant. One of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. Thanks for being here Shannon and JT.

Show Guest Jeff (JT): Yeah, thanks

Show Guest Shannon: Thanks for having us

George: I would like to start with having, you JT kind of why you created Blue Plate, what was your idea behind, the food, the beverage, the theme, and then, you know, how many folks work with you? And I know Shannon's been there for a while as well. 

Jeff: Well, it actually started with four of us four friends from college. and we had just graduated and two of them, I had worked at the front of the house two of the other set of as cooks in the back of the house. Another business partner and we're just all old friends from high school. And before, he liked designing stuff. So, he actually bought the chandeliers that our in-dining rooms before we even had a space or really even talked about it, he just thought they would look great in a restaurant somewhere. We were kind of fresh out of school and I know one of our business partners wanted to go on a track towards teaching and academia, but he wanted to do something before, you know while the iron was hot, like while he had his youth and excitement and energy.

And so, he kind of just rallied the four of us, we all got together and were like, oh yeah, let's just do it. So back in those times, I bought in for $10,000 as the partner in the business and that's money I just had from a motorcycle accident settlement that was just kind of kicking around. And from there we just made everything up as we went along. We wanted food and drink that were good. It probably influenced a little bit by our travels in Europe, where you could expect to give food and maybe not all the time, all the pretense and space where like all kinds of people could come. You wouldn't necessarily have to feel dressed up or that it was a white tablecloth affair. We wanted food that was like elevated, but comfortable. We wanted the vibe to just be friendly where our friends would come have dinner with us and enjoy like a nice two hour or more meal.

So that's where it started. Of course, of we've had lots of ins and outs and changes, but more or less the vibe of having someplace that's very welcoming. Food that's healthy and that you appreciate, and that maybe might surprise you a little bit sometimes but comes from like a comfortable place. And then just getting back to the vibe.  and that's, a big reason Shannon's been such like a, awesome part of this place and because she just has it in spades.

Shannon: This is interesting. I'm glad that we're all having this conversation because some of this I haven't heard having been here this long as far as the beginnings of Blue Plate.

But I'm super happy to be part of it and have been part of it for this long. And here are the stories of how yawl started out at such a young age and, kind of like pretty competitive scene, right?

Jeff: Yeah. It just got more and more competitive, but you know, since we were all friends and enjoyed our company and enjoyed the work, you know, 99% of the things that are here and it might be that we might do well, we just figured out how to do and there was, you know, God bless all our guests and friends that suffered through the first years with us while we made mistakes. But you know, this is a business where you can make some mistakes as long as you don't let go of like the hospitality and the quality and just be honest with folks. And I've found that nine times out of ten, any mistake that happens in the dining room or on the floor with guests or the food or anything, if you're honest, address it apologize, really try to make it better. You end up sharing that experience with the guests and then they become, regulars 

George: My next question I'm a directing to you, Shannon, because I know you worked the front a lot. So how has COVID-19 really impacted the production of all of your wonderful food and hospitality at blue plate?

Shannon: Well, I'd share that question with JT, as everyone’s on the front lines here, so, how has COVID affected our operations? Drastically it's a completely new business model. Jeff mentioned to go back to a little bit of, the fundraising that we've done. A lot of our staff from 27 folks down to about six and eight of us that are working were furloughed or laid off.

And so, we did a fundraiser for them, early on not having it really dialed in how to transform what is a dining room into to go restaurant. And at that point in time, we were only doing takeout and delivery, and that was mid-March after the shelter in place shut down happened. And so, we had to totally transform what was the normal for us and having the carpet pulled out for anyone in any business that drastically changed it, and you had to adapt

Jeff: Certainly, some food that we used to love to do does not travel well or did not travel well. So, I'm like kinds of raw fish and stuff. And so, we made sure that we kept up the things that we knew people really liked and that we could nail, and that would travel well.

And, you know, we had to rethink our, to go containers and which we continue to do constantly. As, you know, anytime you put a new dish in a container. You know, you gotta think about the other, the delivery, people that are picking it up, um, what it might knock around next to, in their car, how long it might get there. there's a lot of ways that there's other companies’ kind of other businesses that are assist us, but they're not really us. So, we have to rely on them for their quality control, their hospitality, and whether it's couriers or online ordering platforms or any other like tech service.

You know, we're partnering with a lot of new people, different kinds of businesses. And just trying to find the ones that, you know, that fit our personality, our respect for hospitality. And, you're never done adapting to it you're always changing. And this, COVID thing is, it's just restaurant industry on steroids where every week there's a new guidance or a different change or a new opportunity for the permit with parklets.

George: So how can folks help you besides making reservations and you have the garden open now you've got front outdoor stuff; you've got gift cards. So, how can folks be listening and watching this support blue plate?

Jeff: All of those things that you just mentioned, gift cards are always great. When the pandemic first started, we sold a lot of them. We continue to sell some, we have a great garden in the back, which we take reservations for. There are only five tables, beautifully spaced, plants and night, blooming, fragrances. We have a couple of tables in the front street side. And we just got a permit to build over there's a little water recapture device on the, sidewalk.

We got a permit to build over that. So, we're hope to add, four to six more tables out in the front there. As those become solid. And we know that people like them will begin to take reservations, but I think a lot of times some of the best things that people can do to support is call us up and we're happy to talk on the phone about what we have available. It's great when people order over the phone or via our online ordering app, because we don't have the same, revenue share as we do with, the delivery option is chosen. and also like the whole lot of us here really likes the guests and the hospitality experience and being so closed off from it now we are allowed to seat inside and there's three tables that we seat up to a maximum of 12 people. Usually it's like six, maybe at the most, and, for the people that are comfortable with that, we're ready to do it. And the weekends are always a good time.

Shannon: And we're all safe and healthy and have been and getting tested regularly, every couple of weeks or so

Jeff: I'm talking with some nurses from general hospital now. They would like to do some kind of, support through dinner and I'm trying to figure out a way to the work with them and maybe do some kind of partnership to see if we can even have like a regular monthly or weekly thing.

You know, another thing that is all too obvious is the community it's all around us and growing all the time that is unhoused. And we have worked in the past with, the mission.  We've worked with them and raised money for them.

I'd like to go down there and talk with them again about like What kind of opportunity there may be to partner, but like, right now, some of the best things people can do is just come by and sit in our garden, order over the phone and just support us by enjoying the food and letting us see your smiling eyes from behind a mask. 

Shannon: I think about when the weather changes, like how that's going to affect everyone, and I'd like to just remind folks that as the weather changes, takeout and delivery are available. I think that's really important as we live from day to day.

Jeff: Yeah. Takeout and delivery were like a fraction of a percent of our revenue before this. And now they're a full, probably a third each, so every little component revenue these days is super important because I mean the third-party delivery platforms they do take, 15% now, but it's 15% is a lot. so, you know, we do things like email and posts on our social media, Instagram at blue plate SF about what we've got going on in the garden any new dishes that our favorite, 

George: So, final question. I know this has been hard on you guys and hard, pretty much on the entire restaurant industry, what do you think could be some of the positive things that come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic kind of meltdown?

Jeff: I mean, there's so many positive possibilities. And it's hard to see those all the time when you're watching the news, but I mean, just parklets outdoor dining. Like San Franciscans are now starting to put on a heavier sweater and dine outside.

I've always been kind of shocked at how reluctant, San Francisco diners are to like sit outside. When, you know, I've done the same thing and countless other, countries, or even States when it's been like way, colder, windier, hotter or whatever. So hopefully outdoor dining culture will continue and foster and, bloom a little bit more. Hopefully we'll get to keep some of these little parklets for a little bit at a time while we adjust, I mean beyond that there's so many places that unfortunately had to like to shut their doors for good.

For so long, the city has really rung out small businesses like restaurants and especially, intensive ones, like full-service restaurants like us where right before the pandemic. Everybody was clamoring to open a fast-casual place where you just take a number at the cash register, and then you go pick up your food and bus your own tables.

And which is great. There's a room for that in the market, but I think places like ours where you come in, sit down and enjoy full service. There's something culturally refueling about that, about sharing a meal with folks as opposed to just refueling on your own to go and hopefully the city and the culture, will like kind of blossom and grow with that as well.

Appreciating the dine in full-service experience and hopefully the city, and they've shown signs of it already. They lighten up on us. I mean, they had us on a, shock collar for feels like at least 15 years, every new thing that came out of the city was well-intentioned perhaps, but like just made it more and more difficult for us to stay in business.

And then beyond the restaurant industry, anything that's like cutting down on our use of so many fossil fuels and making us rethink how we travel, what we spend money on what's important to us and who's closest to us. I think all those have a potential to be. Very enlightening. If we, see it for what it is and grow from it. That's my hippie side talking

George: Thanks, JT and Shannon for sharing about Blue Plate SF, all of your work today. I really appreciate it. We'll make sure that all of the viewers listeners have access to the website and your social, and really appreciate the fact that you guys are still there. But I know it's pretty difficult and just glad you're still staying alive.

Jeff: Well, thank you, George. Thanks for your support, thanks for thinking of us

Episode Outro - Show Host George: That’s it for this episode of voices of the community. You have been listening to the voices of Jeff Trenam, and Shannon Walter of Blue Plate SF. Through a working friendship with Bay Area farmers, the Blue Plate in San Francisco is expanding the notion of the classic blue plate special to include dining that is casual, affordable, and responsible. To find out more about how you support Blue Plate SF go to blue plate sf dot com. For more about the state of our restaurants please listen to our interview with Laurie Thomas, the Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association in Episode Eleven

Series Outro: We hope that you enjoy the insights, points of view, and personal stories from the voices of change-makers and their nonprofits and small businesses featured in this series. To find out more and get engaged with the nonprofits, small businesses and staff members, featured in this series please go to my web site george koster dot com and click on Voices of the Community to find links to the extended versions of these interviews and to listen to the entire series. After listening to these stories we hope that you will consider making a donation and volunteering to provide a hand up to your fellow community members.

Series Credits: I want to thank my associate producer Eric Estrada, along with Mel, Michael, and Lila at the San Francisco Public Press and KSFP. To listen to our next episode in this series and to our archived past shows which feature community voices working on solutions to critical issues facing Northern California communities, please go to george koster dot com. While you are on our website please consider making a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. Please subscribe to Voices of the Community on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts. Follow us on twitter @georgekoster and please email us with feedback and show ideas at george@georgekoster.com. I'm George Koster in San Francisco and thank you for listening.

Copyright © 2016-2020 Voices of the Community / Alien Boy Productions All rights reserved.

Voices of the Community transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Descript. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of Alien Boy Productions’ Voices of the Community’s programming is the audio record.