We’re in day 7 of the partial government shutdown, and local residents were surprised to learn last week that the Cliff House, a legendary San Francisco reataurant and tourist attraction, was forced to close as a result. The reason is because the Cliff House is a concessionaire of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is part of the National Park Service.
That’s a tough position to be in when you’re the Cliff House, who every day since the shutdown has been losing income and can’t pay its employees.
Clearly they reached their breaking point because today, the Inside Scoop reports that the Cliff House has decided to re-open, despite the government shutdown. In their statement, the restaurant wrote:
In response to the Federal Government shutdown the Cliff House has reached a difficult decision to reopen its doors, Monday, October 7, 2013. While this bold move challenges the shut down order the Cliff House must remain operational.
Our partners at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area have fought hard for the Cliff House to be allowed to stay open.
As a successful, independent, privately owned business that does not depend on any tax dollars or federal funding, the Cliff House must have income.
The Cliff House operates 365 days a year and employs 170 staff most of whom are furloughed. Even though the Cliff House is not open for business there are daily operating costs, which include maintenance of the iconic Cliff House building.
Having been shut down for four days the Cliff House has already assumed considerable financial loss.
Up the street is Louis Diner who despite being on federal park land, was allowed to remain open for business – because they lease the land, they’re not technically a concessionaire of the federal government.
Another federal concessionaire, the Blue Ridge Inn in Mt. Pisgah, North Carolina tried to re-open after cooperating with the shutdown initially.
The government responded by sending rangers to block the entrance to their establishment, who told approaching drivers “the government is closed”. The owner also got a letter from Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis ordering him to shut down, and that he was in violation of his contract.
Will the federal government crack down and demand that the Cliff House close again and comply with the shutdown? We’ll have to see. But in the meantime, it’s business as usual. Popovers for everyone!
UPDATE 10/9/13: After getting wind of the Cliff House’s defiance, the federal government once again ordered the restaurant to shut down on Tuesday night. The Chronicle reports that the Cliff House will remain closed for the duration of the shutdown, losing $10,000 a day in revenue and not paying their 170 employees. Read the Cliff House’s statement (PDF)
Sarah B.
Hooray for the Cliff House! The irresponsible manner in which both parties have handled the sequester is outrageous. As the loathsome TeaNuts (btw, I’m not a Dem) have done their best to riddle this great nation with their petty temper tantrums, religious extremism (yes, it’s our very own American Taliban!), and utter disregard for the poor and elderly, I can look West down Clement to a shining star of hope and old time American Spirit! You go, Cliff House!
The spirit of Capitalism has reared its ugly head. There’s probably “someone special” who has an event planned there that needs to have things proceed on schedule.
The whole thing is just silly. Closing the parking lots at Lands End? They are paying a VA police officer to block people from driving in there. The parking spaces are there anyway, I don’t need the government to watch my car, so why block it??
According to SFGate (on Wednesday morning) the feds shut the Cliff House down again after last night’s service.
1) Pam:
Here’s the SFGate link
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/It-s-last-call-for-now-at-famous-Cliff-House-4880359.php
2) btw, Obama has a potential option to raise the debt ceiling via the 14th Amendment, but has ruled that strategy out because there would be challenges that might cause a lack of confidence in the markets if he used that “nuclear option”. What a sad, pathetic, childish mess. The Tea Baggers make me sick, and I’m no longer impressed with Obama’s feckless leadership. He has played footsie with those clowns and were watching “drip, drip,drip” this nation become a laughing stock. The “someone special” that you refer to is none other than the leaderless dolts in the Congress (on both sides) who are mostly wealthy; who are on the nation’s best health care plan; and, who aren’t worried about the mortgage payment or their kid’s future – these are mostly people who are all set, financially, for life. There are some exceptions to that, but not many.
3) @Richmond Resident: It would help if you actually READ something every now and then instead of jumping to conclusions that satisfy your already-made-up-mind. Do you understand that the Cliff HOuse still has to meet many financial obligations? That it has to pay its suppliers? That it supports a large staff with its revenue, and that they need to work in order to pay the bills?
I agree with Jen. The whole parking lot thing is a joke. The money spent closing the parking lots is probably higher than the money spent just leaving it open. Pathetic.
How is it that the “privately” owned businesses in the Presidio National Park are open ie Lucas Letterman Digital, Presidio Social Club, Presidio Golf course?!!! It doesn’t make any sense! Oops! I forgot. This is San Francisco! :-/
Is Louis’ also closed? I believe they have same set up as Cliff House in terms of being a private business on NPS property. I would think they would even be harder hit than the Cliff House.
@mel – No, Louis Diner is still open. They lease federal land, but they are not a concessionaire so they are not required to close down.
Sarah B.
Glad to hear.
They close a historic business (yet rent is still due) because the people in DC can’t get their acts together yet, the Congressmen still have their free private gym (that is funded by us). I guess people working at the very special gym, are labelled essential employees.
I’m so disgusted with the whole thing. It appears Congress and the Executive branch don’t know what their role is. Sandra Day O’Connor was right, the lack of civics taught as a core subject at school give us such uneducated dolts as the current government regime.
The teabaggers who are currently saying that maybe going over the debt ceiling won’t be bad because how do we know unless we tried it and those who suggest we pay down our debts and obligations by deciding which debt is more pressing, makes me want to scream! If this were a household and you decide to pay off your Target card rather than your mortgage, would the banks be ok with that?
Such a mess – and totally unnecessary!
Unless I’m mistaken, federal administrators are simply following the law regarding keeping only essential services open during a shutdown. Seems like at least part of the idea is to prevent individuals, wildlife, and historical and natural treasures from being jeopardized due to the lack of staffing and security.
I think we need to channel our energy into ending the current shutdown and preventing future government shutdowns–agreeing as a country that it is a strategy to be used either never, or perhaps in the gravest of grave crises. Doing it to overturn a law that has been passed and approved by the Supreme Court (or just to rake in donations for Tea Party candidates) doesn’t meet that threshhold, and most Republicans in Congress know that.
If Republicans Peter King and John Podhoretz are blaming their own party, and even Paul Ryan backed away from trying to “defund” Obamacare, it’s pretty clear who is responsible for this mess.
And my sympathies to everyone who manages or works at or eats at the Cliff House. I hope you are back to work and enjoying the Cliff House ASAP!!!
Let’s all show our support for the folks at the Cliff House by having at least one meal there once it reopens.