Grant Schley's Ham & Cheese Deli at 5501 California St. has operated without a liquor license — by explicit design — since registering with the City in October 2020. No beer, closes at 2:30 p.m., arcade games included.

Grant Schley opened Ham & Cheese Deli at 5501 California St. in the Outer Richmond in 2020 and has fielded the same suggestion ever since. "You should have beer. I get that a lot," Schley told the Richmond Sunset News in September 2025. "No, I shouldn't have beer. I should close at 2:30 and have killer coffee and sunshine and sandwiches and arcade games. You can have beer anywhere."

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control shows no liquor license — active, pending, or historical — for the address or the owner. That is not an oversight; it is the business model.

Schley, a San Francisco native and former culinary director at the University of San Francisco, also directs culinary programs at City Hope San Francisco, a local nonprofit. His deli is registered with the City under the legal entity The Fancy Pig, LLC, with a business start date of October 30, 2020. The room, which The Infatuation clocked at roughly 40 seats in a 2022 write-up, runs sandwiches, soups, and deli items in the firm-$ range; the same review flagged a banh mi-riff called "Dropped A Banh On Mi" and an Arnold Palmer as standouts. The deli's website describes the concept as "a fresh take on classic sandwiches, soups, deli & pantry items" alongside vintage arcade games, sports memorabilia, and free books for kids. A Pantry & Provisions Club, operated through Table22, extends the model beyond the counter with a recurring subscription to pantry stock.

Hours run Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Schley has a clear read on who he's serving. "The Richmond District is dope, and it's got parks, and it's got everything," he told the Richmond Sunset News. "It's got families and working-class people."

In a city where most new rooms build a bar program first and design around it second — chasing per-head spend to cover the rent — Ham & Cheese has held a different line for nearly five years: daytime hours, no alcohol, a price point the neighborhood can use. The Fancy Pig, LLC's City registration has been active since October 2020.