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SF Says New “Outdoor Dining Domes” Must Come Down

Controversial domes in Mint Plaza at one of SF’s most expensive restaurants shut down by health department
By - posted 8/19/2020 No Comment

8/19 UPDATE: The Outdoor Dining Domes are Back – Late Wednesday afternoon Hashiri announced their domes were back after following modifications required by the health department. See the latest updates.

Thanks to the SF Chronicle for letting us know about the controversial outdoor dining domes put up on Mint Plaza (near 5th and Mission) just a few weeks ago have been ordered to be taken down by the city’s department of health.

Related: SF’s Brand New Outdoor Dining “Igloo” Debuts – 8/7/20

On August 5, San Francisco’s fine dining Japanese restaurant Hashiri installed three “igloo” style see-through domes in the hopes of providing a unique outdoor dining experience while providing a safe environment during the pandemic.

The restaurant not only received tons of headlines for their $200-per-person meals inside the unique geodesic domes but also received hate phone calls and emails from people seeing their domes as “anti-homeless.”

Department of Public Health Officers visited the restaurant last week and ordered the owners to take down the domes. The guidelines for outdoor dining during the pandemic state that outdoor structures like tents need to be open on the sides to allow for airflow. 

Still Open for Outdoor Dining, Just No “Domes” For now

Hashiri’s recent Facebook post stated that the restaurant will comply with the guidelines and will stop serving in the domes, but they continue to be open for regular outdoor dining (just not inside the domes) They will reach out to those with reservations to offer alternative options. Read more from Hashiri.