Earlier this week, the Bayview Bistro, an open-air marketplace hosting local food vendors, opened as part of an initiative to empower restaurateurs and businesses in San Francisco’s Southeast community.
Bayview Bistro empowers culinary vendors in the Bayview to expand their customer base to construction workers, businesses, and residents in neighborhoods surrounding the SFPUC’s infrastructure and capital projects. The hub features a rotating lineup of local food trucks and food pop-ups such as Soul Bowl’z and Big H BBQ. Bayview Bistro is sponsored by the SFPUC’s social impact partners and the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD).
Soul Bowl’z, a food truck offering traditional Southern cuisine with a Latin twist, and Big H BBQ, a pop-up with a menu featuring ribs, chicken sandwiches and baked beans, will take part in the first round of food vendors at the Bayview Bistro site, located on a formerly vacant lot at 4101 Third Street.
The Bayview Bistro, supported by the SFPUC, its social impact partners, and the OEWD was created in collaboration with the community to encourage local workers, residents and visitors to patronize neighborhood-owned businesses.
The marketplace will be open from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It will also be open on the last Friday of the month as part of a special Community Night from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. The site will feature a regular rotation of food entrepreneurs who live or work in Bayview-Hunters Point. The site has been enhanced with bleacher style seating, local art, and a former shipping container that features a colorful mural.
Every vendor involved in the Bayview Bistro program either lives, owns a kitchen, utilizes a commercial space, possesses a cottage food license or maintains a brick and mortar presence in the Bayview-Hunters Points neighborhood. As part of their involvement, participants will receive technical help regarding menu creation and pricing, assistance registering as a city-approved vendor, and workshop opportunities from the Department of Public Health on compliance issues.
The businesses will receive promotion and marketing support on the Bayview Bistro website, along with exposure on the initiative’s various social media platforms. In addition to touting the Bayview Bistro entrepreneurs, the website will also highlight local businesses situated along the Third Street corridor and provide shopping incentives for HOPE SF residents and local workers.
The SFPUC is poised to start significant construction work in the Bayview community as part of its Sewer System Improvement Program, which includes a major rebuild of the agency’s Southeast Treatment Plant. SFPUC employees and contract workers involved in that project will be in close proximity to the Bayview Bistro, offering them convenient dining options during the workday. The Bayview Bistro is part of the SFPUC’s Social Impact Partnership Program, which invites private sector firm partners to give back locally to the communities in which they are performing work on behalf of the SFPUC.
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