The popular nightlife spot, born and bred in the Mission, is announcing a major expansion — a genuine vote of confidence in a neighborhood that, frankly, could use one.
Let's be real about the context here. The Mission is in rough shape. The corridor along Mission Street from roughly 14th to 26th has become increasingly hostile to the businesses and residents trying to make it work. As one SF resident put it bluntly: "The Mission is the worst it's been in a decade-plus. 16th and 24th BART are the dirtiest and most disgusting they've ever been."
That's not pearl-clutching — it's observable reality. And it makes this expansion all the more notable. Someone looked at the current state of the neighborhood and said, "Yeah, let's double down."
We love to see it. Private investment in struggling neighborhoods is exactly the kind of organic revitalization that actually works — not another city-funded "activation" program or a consultant's report that costs six figures and recommends more reports. A business owner putting real money on the line because they believe people will show up? That's the market doing what bureaucrats can't.
But let's not pretend the city deserves credit. Another local noted that the mayor's downtown sweeps have simply displaced problems into neighborhoods like the Mission: "The problem just moves around, it doesn't go away." That's the fundamental issue with an enforcement strategy that lacks a real endgame. You can't squeegee human suffering from one ZIP code to another and call it governance.
For this expansion to succeed — and for the Mission to actually turn a corner — the city needs to get serious about public safety in the district. Not just press-conference serious. Actually serious. That means consistent enforcement, real consequences, and yeah, probably some uncomfortable conversations about compulsory treatment for people who clearly cannot help themselves.
In the meantime, we'll raise a glass to the entrepreneurs crazy enough to bet on San Francisco. The Mission needs more of that energy and less of whatever City Hall has been offering.

