The Michelin Guide just added four new San Francisco restaurants to its California edition — La Cigale, Dingles, Naide, and Wolfsbane — and honestly, it's one of the better pieces of news this city has gotten in a while.

Let's be real: San Francisco has spent the last few years fielding an endless stream of doom-and-gloom headlines about empty storefronts, fleeing businesses, and a downtown that sometimes feels like it's running on fumes. So when one of the most prestigious culinary institutions on the planet says, actually, people are still opening world-class restaurants here, it's worth paying attention.

These four additions aren't just a pat on the back for talented chefs — they're proof that private enterprise is still betting on San Francisco. Nobody opens a Michelin-caliber restaurant in a city they've given up on. These are entrepreneurs putting real capital on the line, hiring staff, signing leases, and creating the kind of experiences that draw people into neighborhoods and keep them spending money.

That's how a city recovers — not through another round of government grants or a new task force with a clever acronym, but through individuals taking risks because they believe the fundamentals are still there.

And here's the thing City Hall should internalize: every one of these restaurants had to navigate San Francisco's notoriously brutal permitting process, its labyrinthine health and building codes, and tax burdens that would make restaurateurs in Austin or Miami weep. Imagine how many more additions we'd see if the city actually made it easier to open a business here instead of treating entrepreneurs like an inconvenience.

So congratulations to La Cigale, Dingles, Naide, and Wolfsbane. You're doing more for San Francisco's revival than most of the people at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. Go eat at these spots — support the people who are actually building something.