The National Park Service, which owns the property, is looking for another restaurant to move in, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday in favor of a resolution for the NPS to immediately make use of the space while it searches for a long-term tenant.
The 157-year-old restaurant closed earlier this year. The previous owners, Dan and Mary Hountalas, say the closure was caused by delays from the National Park Service in reaching a long-term operating contract. The last long-term contract between the Cliff House and the National Park Service expired in June 2018, and the restaurant had been operating since then under a series of short-term contracts. The Hountalas added that the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the problems. There were 180 employees who lost their jobs.
The Cliff House ended in-house dining in March and after 10 weeks of offering only takeout service, the restaurant shut down to diners. The operators said they attempted to try takeout-only service in early June, but after 10 weeks of that, closed down completely in mid-July, saying the restaurant was losing too much money as a takeout-only operation.
VIDEO: SF's historic Cliff House restaurant vandalized one day after closure
SF's historic Cliff House restaurant vandalized one day after closure