Friday morning, the SF Business Times’ Sarah Duxbury posted an interesting article headlined “Hey Chris Daly! You gonna hire union?” The reporter says she “reached out to” Dan Scherotter, the chef and owner of Palio d’Asti and one-time president of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, who provided Duxbury with 15 questions he had about D6 Supervisor Chris Daly’s plans to buy and operate Buck tavern once his term ends.
But that’s where the Biz Times’ reporting comes to a halt, as Daly (arguably the most accessible Supe, any reporter in SF will tell you) tells the Appeal that Duxbury never “reached out to” him for responses to Scherotter’s questions, at least as of publication time.
Hey, I’m just a pajamablogger over here, so what the hell do I know? But I always think articles are more interesting when you present the questions you have for people to the people you want to ask them of! Perhaps that is JUST ME.
I thought Scherotter’s questions were pretty good ones, some of which I had wondered about myself, some of which I never considered until he asked them. So I asked Daly if he’d want to answer them over here!
And what do you know, he did. See, Sarah, it wasn’t that hard!
As a disclaimer, Daly does note that “I am 50% owner of the corp that is in contract to purchase Buck Tavern. Therefore, the ultimate actions of the corp will be a consensus of my partner, Ted Strawser, and me, and we have not worked through all of these management issues yet. But I will give you my answers which will accurately reflect my position in the management discussions to come.”
So clip and save, kids, so we can see how many of Daly’s plans make it into the final product. Especially the parts where we all get discounted/free booze.
Dan Scherotter: Will he unionize? If not, why not and will he pay a “living” wage? Will he hire undocumented workers? The unemployed? Ex-cons?
Chris Daly: I am shocked, just plain shocked, that the Business Times doesn’t (understand) the basics of union organizing. I am a strong supporter of a worker’s right to organize and form a union, but obviously I will not unionize–that’s not for management to decide!
However, I would be supportive of an employee-led effort. By the way, there’s no way we’re losing to Spec’s in the union bar softball league. No way whatsoever.
And after every win, we’ll be offering 2 for 1 Happy Hour specials. Come on down
to 1655 Market Street at Gough. You won’t want to miss it!
Will he hire only union trades people? The plumber’s union office is just down the block and they love him.
Fun question, but somehow, I don’t think Mazzola’s guys would want to help me out. But we will be offering free Happy Hour pool for any rank and file Local 38 member that wants to challenge their union’s leadership.
Will he pay for his employees’ private health insurance, Healthy SF or just an HSA/HRA?
As an original co-sponsor of the Health Care Security Ordinance, I fully support this mandate and we will obviously comply with it. On top of that, we’ll be offering half-price Happy Hour specials for every card carrying Healthy SF member! 1655 Market Street. Write that down.
If so, will he pass that expense on and charge his customers some percentage?
These are costs of doing business that we will build into our overall budget. Don’t go to any of those other establishment that put those extra “surcharges” on your tab. That’s plain tacky.
Will he join the GGRA? The Chamber of Commerce? The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau?
I certainly plan to challenge these groups to take positions that are more responsive to community needs, but I don’t plan to pay dues until they do. We’re not going to fund the efforts to screw everyday people. Instead, we’ll be plugging these dollars back into our amazing Happy Hour Specials. I think you get the idea.
Will he have all 9 days of sick pay plus vacation pay, or will he combine them into PTO?
As the primary sponsor of the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, I fully support this mandate and will adhere to its provisions. (For employers with 9 or fewer employees in a given week, the ordinance requires 5 days of sick pay.) In addition, we’ve got some great promotions if you’re on one of your sick days. Why waste your day off in bed when you can be down at Daly’s Dive getting a drink and bite to eat.
Will he hire enough staff to make food from scratch or outsource that to vendors and companies outside SF?
My current plan is to operate Buck Tavern in its current format for a short period before making changes. That includes keeping the current name, staff, menu, etc. for this period. Right now The Buck currently features hand-cut fries!
When we convert to “Daly’s Dive”, we will make some menu changes. Our physical limitations, like small kitchen size, won’t stop the Happy Hour food specials that will include free quesadillas or grilled cheese sandwiches with 2 drink purchases!
Will he usher away the street people who hang out in front? Will he buy them a drink? Will he cut them off?
Everyone is welcome at Daly’s Dive. We will do our best to show respect all of our neighbors, whether they live upstairs, at the Ascot Hotel next door, or on the street.
Further, we will offer our space for frequent fundraising opportunities to community groups like the Coalition on Homelessness or to fight against initiatives like the sit-lie ordinance.
We’re talking celebrity bartenders, meeting interesting people that don’t hate homeless people, drink specials!
When he has a problem, will he call the police? They love him, too.
Sure. In fact, I’ve already met with representatives of the Police Department at the spot.
We’ll be offering special discounts for City employees. Last time I checked, cops would qualify.
Will he serve Plumpjack wines? Imported booze? Locally made products?
I think that Buck Tavern has done a pretty good job on beer selection, but I will be looking to feature more local brews. I like to drink Canadian whiskey, Irish whiskey, and tequila, so there certainly will be imported booze.
When I talked to Mayor about the bar, he didn’t mention Plumpjack, but he did ask that I stock Clausthaler. I told him at Daly’s Dive, San Francisco Mayors drink free.
The same promotion does not apply to Supervisors. This is a business, not a charity.
Will he go green? Organic?
I don’t think there’s any hope to go LEED Platinum, but I do want to green the business where ever feasible. That also means including more organic choices on the menu and your third drink’s free when you mitigate your carbon footprint!
Will he still advocate for every fee, tax and regulation that his progressive brethren can dream up?
You bet! If you support progressive taxation, why give the other guys your money?
Will he continue to reside in the city or will he take his profits out to Fairfield?
I will continue to reside in San Francisco, right around the corner from Buck Tavern. I will do my best to see my family as much as I can, whether that be in the City, Fairfield, or points between. I haven’t yet mentioned my Solano Specials, but the Daily Republic has that exclusive.
Will he donate a portion of his own sales or profits to victims of tsunamis, floods, famine, earthquakes and other plagues around the world?
Yes.
How does he intend to promote the progressive agenda as a business owner?
By responding to slanted Business Times articles in the SF Appeal and offering the first 10 commenters on this post a free drink. Buck Tavern. Daly’s Dive. 1655 Market Street, San Francisco. See you there.
