The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards

This article is part of The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards, which celebrate the Bay Area’s small businesses and local residents who have hustled and shown creativity throughout 2020. See all the award winners here.

“Pivot” may be the number one word used when referring to the restaurant industry in 2020. And no, you’re not the only one who thinks of Ross and his couch from Friends when you hear it.

But in all seriousness, restaurants have been forced into pivoting for survival on an ongoing basis since the first shelter-in-place order back in March, whether ramping up takeout, cooking for frontline workers, or offering groceries and meal kits.

Brandon Jew of Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s and his team have done all of these things and much more. The Chinatown revolutionary has been creatively diversifying offerings and outreach since the pandemic began, from offering gourmet groceries, bottles, farm-direct produce, and treats via Jiu’s Ho Ho, to collaborating with nearby Michelin restaurant Lord Stanley for special meal kits, to providing meals to those in need.

Mister Jiu’s has been a prime example of creating multiple revenue streams to get by all while giving back to the community. That’s why The Bold Italic readers chose it as the Most Impressive Restaurant Pivot in San Francisco in 2020.

We caught up with Jew and owner Anna Chet Jew-Lee to congratulate them on their win and to talk about their wild year.

TBI: How have you managed to stay afloat this year?
Brandon Jew and Anna Chet Jew-Lee:
It was a combination of trying to keep as much of our staff intact and to diversify the offerings we could creatively package as experiences for customers. We actually only closed for one week since the official shut down and moved right into providing meals for SF New Deal/World Central Kitchen, a meal kit/collaboration tasting meal with Lord Stanley called Lord Jiu’s, and a grocery concept called Jiu’s Ho Ho that we could sell our pantry, produce, and prepared meals.

A group of industry leaders came together and we also formed the Bay Area Hospitality Coalition, providing a website to organize resources that were available. As the restrictions were lifted, we were able to bring back more of our staff when we built our outdoor seating through the Shared Spaces program. We continued to take on events that we could also integrate, working with Dress for Success, James Beard Foundation, Resy “At Home”, Infatuation, Dine for Democracy, Save our Chinatowns to name a few.

Ultimately, we stayed afloat because our team is incredible! They have been flexible, positive, and really kept our spirits up the whole time. We’ve also had great support and enthusiasm from diners. I think having a positive, transparent, and grateful mindset kept us in the right place to be flexible.

How are you holding up now, heading into another month of shelter in place?
The pulling back of everything we have had to adjust to already was another gut punch. We had just gotten to breaking even after months of not and had been able to bring back 15 of our staff members that are now back on furlough. We are hoping to see this through and to be persistent, but we had put a lot of our resources into the outdoor dining space and don’t have many more risks we can take. We are going to stay in operation until the end of the month, then assess whether to temporarily close the restaurant.

What are your hopes for 2021?
That we are able to build and sustain a better and more equitable, more delicious, and more fun restaurant than we had before. That we can see through helping new businesses grow, especially within Chinatown, and to support the restaurants that were able to make it through. I am hoping to open the original entrance to the restaurant on Grant Avenue in 2021. It is a tiny storefront, but I’ve seen how operationally important street frontage is during the pandemic.

How can people help support your business?
People can support us by frequently purchasing something we have to offer. We have merch and groceries still on our Jiu’s Ho Ho site, Mister Jiu’s takeout or delivery food through Tock, and our website has links to any other events we may be running. Each day is a struggle so every little bit counts to getting us closer to a break even. Some of the best support is also when guests show appreciation for our work and care that goes into their meal with their posts or comments.

Other nominees for Most Impressive Restaurant Pivot

1. Hina Yakitori

This high-end Japanese yakitori spot had been serving multi-course tasting menus ( $110 for 16 courses) and quickly pivoted to delicious bento boxes via takeout. So far, it’s worked in keeping them stable. “We hope to stay stable until there’s a point we can pivot back to indoor dining,” said owner Tommy Cleary. “We will only pivot back when it is safe for our employees and guests and will make sense business-wise.” Until then, keep buying bentos.

2. Bamboo Asia’s Feastin

Bamboo Asia, a local fast-casual chain offering Indian, Japanese, and Vietnamese dishes in rice bowl, sandwich, and salad form—quickly pivoted to selling meal kits delivered across the Bay Area. Anticipating the pandemic would last a while, owner couple Sebastiaan Van de Rijt and Hannah Wagner saw an opportunity to launch a delivery service to help restaurants and food purveyors deliver much further than they ever have before without paying hefty commissions. Enter: Bamboo Asia’s Feastin.

Now, Feastin is giving Bamboo Asia revenue to get by. “I hope that Feastin can support many more restaurants around the Bay Area and become a powerful revenue stream for them that will help their business recover quickly,” Van de Rijt said. “People can help support Bamboo Asia and all other Feastin partners by ordering through Feastin. Not only does the restaurant get to keep all the money you spend with them, but our two-day delivery model also allows them to plan better and save on labor and food cost. Place your grocery orders through Feastin and support the Bay Area’s family-owned meat, seafood, and produce purveyors.”

3. Reem’s California

Reem’s California’s Fruitvale, Oakland location quickly switched from their sit-down Arab bakery model to becoming a commissary kitchen that works with World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit by Jose Andres, to help feed vulnerable populations around the Bay, including frontline workers and the homeless community. Owner Reem Assil continues to be an outspoken advocate for food justice and changes needed in the restaurant industry.

4. Flour+Water Pasta Shop

The beloved, high-end Four + Water, located in the Mission, quickly adapted to the pandemic by launching a retail and to-go operation that features the Flour + Water pasta program in the form of pasta dinner kids, bundles of fresh noodles, sauces, and garnishes. It also offers prepared food, pantry items, and wine and beer every day of the week. Lastly, the restaurant now serves a deli menu of sandwiches, salads, as well as charcuterie and cheese plates.

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