Quickly Has Soft Open On Irving, Neighbors Caught Unaware

Quickly Has Soft Open On Irving, Neighbors Caught UnawareJonathan Gerfen/Hoodline
Walter Thompson
Published on June 01, 2015

Quickly has opened its newest location at 716 Irving Street, formerly home to Irving Street Cafe, which closed last winter. A storefront banner says the Grand Opening is next Sunday, June 7 at 11 am, but a "soft opening" will let the curious explore Quickly's menu this week from 2 pm to 10 pm. 

Quickly is one of the nation's largest bubble tea chains with 71 locations across Northern California and more than 2000 shops worldwide. The new location on Irving has been remodeled to use its trademark colors but a window decal reads "Irving Cafe." It's not clear if the entire menu is available during the soft opening, but Quickly typically offers desserts, banh mi sandwiches and bento in addition to tapioca tea drinks.

Formula retail is no stranger to the Inner Sunset; Quickly arrives on the same block as a Starbucks Coffee and The Posh Bagel. In 2004, city regulations began limiting chain businesses by classifying them under conditional use permits that are approved on a case-by-case basis by the city planning department. Hoodline contacted neighboring businesses to find out if they'd been notified about Quickly's conditional use permit; none had. Tipster Nicasio N. told us the following:

A Quickly just opened this weekend at the old Irving St. Cafe location. I heard a rumor that they were improperly permitted and were basically just operating with the old Irving St. Cafe permits. I'm curious as to if there is any truth to this. Quickly has been know to operate fast and loose in the past.

Quickly's offerings, which include everything from desserts to sandwiches, compete directly with several independent retailers who share the block. "We found out the same time you did," said Romolo Wilkinson, manger of Easy Breezy frozen yogurt next door at 718 Irving. "A lot of the staff here is a fan of Quickly," said Wilkinson,"but we're wondering how it's going to work."

Thanks to neighbor Patty C. for the original tip this weekend.