The Cliff House reopens in the face of the shutdown:
‘The Cliff House must remain operational.’
‘The Cliff House must remain operational.’
[Update: Closed Wednesday]
Posted on 10/08/2013 at 10:12 am by Paolo Lucchesi
In an unexpected turn of events, San Francisco’s Cliff House reopened for business on Monday.
The iconic oceanfront restaurant was forced to close last Thursday as part of the government shutdown, because all concessions in national parks are required to be closed. Many of the big restaurant’s 170 employees went without paychecks.
Yesterday, Cliff House owners Dan and Mary Hountalas defied the national park’s closure orders and swung open the doors to their San Francisco institution.
This is the statement from the Cliff House regarding the shutdown order:
"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. Outreach has been done to donate unused food to local charities that would have otherwise gone to waste.
The Cliff House recently celebrated 150 years, is loved by the locals and is a world-wide destination."
Per sources at the Cliff House, the restaurant will continue to stay open as long as possible during the shutdown, since it remains unclear how — or if — the National Park Service and the rest of the federal government system will react to the defiance. According to Alexandra Picavet of the National Park Service, they are waiting for further information from their Washington, DC offices regarding the situation before addressing it. Updates on the government’s response as warranted.
Also worth following is whether the Cliff House’s chess move will influence similar challenges from other concessionaires around the country who, like the Cliff House, do not receive federal funding but have been ordered closed anyway.
Update, 6pm: And the hammer drops. After a two-day return, the Cliff House will be forced to close again on Wednesday, and according to the restaurant, will remain closed for the duration of the shutdown. More updates and intel tomorrow.
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