Upper Haighters have been responding positively to the sleek new look at People’s Café, which reopened in August 2015 after undergoing an ownership change and a major three-month renovation. The cafe just hit the six-month mark since reopening, so we decided to check in and see how things were going.
If you’ve been to People's Cafe since it reopened, you’ve probably seen new owner Kyle Wong. Taking orders, running food, cleaning up: he does it all, and loves every busy moment. Originally from Hong Kong, Kyle moved to San Francisco as a child in 1994, along with his family. Now 34 years old and living in the Sunset, he also co-owns a contracting business, APlus Builders, with his brother.
His work with APlus is actually how he came to buy People's Café. “The previous owner is one of my clients,” he said. “She asked me if I wanted to buy [the café], and I said yes.” As a contractor, he figured he could “do everything” when it came to renovating and running the place.
"Do everything” is exactly what Wong did. He took over the café in April 2015, keeping it open as it was for a month to get a feel for the business. Then he shut it down from May through August, to overhaul the space.
“I didn’t want [the cafe's look] to be too serious,” he said. His goal was a “comfortable atmosphere” that people would enjoy hanging out in.
We asked him what aspect of the cafe needed the biggest overhaul. His response: "Everything.” After a decade in business, the décor, menu and design all needed a bit of an overhaul. But since the name was so recognizable to locals, he decided to keep it.
Though he's happy with how the makeover turned out, Wong still has a few changes in the works. “I like to always improve the space…adding new things and changing things to make it even better," he said. He wants to add more art to the walls (which currently only have a couple of paintings up), and finally add signage to the front of the café. At the moment, the only logos for the business are on the T-shirts that are sold inside and worn by the staff.
When he first reopened, Wong said, some patrons told him they missed the old café. But these days, “people are getting used to the new changes,” and many tell him they now enjoy the updates. In terms of sales and customer traffic, he said, “each month is better than the last," and there are “lots of return customers.”
At the moment, Wong said, “ramen and noodles are the best-selling items,” and the burger is also a big seller. He personally recommends the pasta dishes, but if you have a tween in your group, chicken tenders may be your go-to. Wong told us he kid-friendly finger food is the biggest hit with the middle-schoolers that frequent People’s Café after school.
The menu is also set to receive some updates very soon, with new additions coming in a couple of weeks. It will still be an American-style menu, but with a few tweaks; Wong has added some Asian-inspired items as specials that have received a warm reception, so he's going to put some of them into permanent rotation. Down the line, he said, he may add an entirely separate Asian menu.
In terms of dealing with the everyday challenges of the Upper Haight, Wong said it's mostly been smooth sailing. As a native, he's very familiar with the neighborhood, and he tries to keep a positive relationship with the homeless people in the area, allowing them to stop in for fresh water. He also donates all his leftover pastries to the homeless at the end of the night, and sometimes even brings them coffee.
Wong says his favorite parts of running People's are the happy customers and the busy pace. While he's largely given up his free time to keep up with the demands of running the business, he says he's happy with the café, and genuinely likes to stay busy.
Have you been to People’s Café since it reopened? What are your thoughts on the new food and new look? Let us know in the comments.
