Iconic Cliff House sign will be removed Thursday, concessionaires say
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A view of the Cliff House restaurant on October 10, 2013 in San Francisco, California.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images 2013
The iconic Cliff House, located in Land’s End, is ending a run that started 157 years ago: It will close permanently as of tomorrow.
And by Thursday, the current building will no longer bear the words “Cliff House.”
In social media posts, Dan and Mary Hountalas, the long-time concessionaires of the Cliff House, said that after days of negotiations with the National Park Service fell apart, the Cliff House sign will be taken down at noon on December 31.
The permanent closure can be attributed in part to the coronavirus pandemic, which has restricted operations for much of the past year to takeout service. But the restaurant also has been mired in a contract dispute with the National Parks Service over concessions.
The owners say a 20-year contract expired in June 2018, and since then, the parks service has issued one 6-month contract and two consecutive one-year contracts.
The last contract expired Thursday.
The closure put 180 employees out of work, the owners said, adding that they attempted to institute takeout service in early June but after 10 weeks could not continue to sustain the unbearable losses associated with takeout.
Iconic Cliff House sign is removed on New Year s Eve
Fiona Lee and Blair Heagerty
Dec. 31, 2020
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Today was the end of an era for a San Francisco institution. The Cliff House, which has perched over the Pacific Ocean operating in multiple incarnations since 1863, has now closed permanently.
At noon on New Year s Eve, the Cliff House sign was taken down as a crowd of people watched below. As the letters were lowered to the ground, people booed.
The building itself will likely never be called the Cliff House again, the Chronicle reported. Since the Hountalases hold the trademark to the name, a new concessionaire would not be able to use it.
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The Cliff House, a 157-year-old iconic San Francisco restaurant, is to close in less than two weeks
Coronavirus restrictions coupled with the federal government which has delayed signing a long-term lease are factors in the decision
In its prime Cliff House was part of a bustling strip of cafes attracting visitors from across the country
Visitors were treated to spectacular views over the cliff tops and superb sunsets
San Francisco s iconic Cliff House restaurant that has served tourists and locals for more than a century from atop a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean is closing its doors at the end of the year.