November 2008Letters to the EditorDear Editor: As a waitress at Just For You Café, I was dismayed to see your piece “Hell’s Breakfast” in the October View. As you mentioned in the article, roughly 2,000 Hell’s Angels were in town for Papa Guardado’s funeral. What you did not mention was that some of those people came from other countries, where gratuity is not the main source of a service person’s income, and is often included in the cost of the meal. The “not tipping” you referred to was simply not the case. We were given tips by the European Angels, just not always to USA industry standard. I took advantage of our good relationship with the local Angels to let them know about this, and they went over and above to make things right. The local Angels have always been generous, polite and patient with us here at Just For You. Your article has created an atmosphere of mistrust and has alienated some of our favorite customers. I feel it was in poor taste to publish this piece, and I think you owe the Hell’s Angels and Just For You employees an apology.
I take pride in the fact that people from all walks of life frequent Just For You Café, from blue collar workers to Hell’s Angels, police officers to millionaires. The Burning Man crowd, secretaries, and families with children all darken our door. The Dogpatch neighborhood is home to the Hell’s Angels’ clubhouse, but one of our City prosecutors lives on the same block. We have a soul food joint, white table cloth restaurants, a saloon, liquor store, and many other small businesses. The Dogpatch is essentially a microcosm of San Francisco. Many long-time residents have told me that the presence of the Hell’s Angels helps to keep the neighborhood safe. The Hell’s Angels have been loyal, frequent customers of Just For You Café for 15 years. They are always respectful, generous, and even quiet. The power of the public, printed word still holds great sway in this world. Why you would chose to feature Just For You Café and the Hell’s Angels in a negative light based on unsubstantiated information is a great disappointment to this local business owner. Not only was this information untrue, but your decision to publish gossip at a time when these members of our community were mourning the loss of their leader reveals a lack of empathy.
Just For You Café
I noticed an omission in Kerry Fleisher’s October article on Potrero Hill food pantries. No mention was made of the St. Teresa/St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry. It has been serving Hill residents for more than thirty years, weekly and at Thanksgiving. We were a client of the Food Bank at their prior location on Indiana Street, and still rely on them for some items. Most of our stock comes from food drives at Riordan and Cathedral Schools and St. Teresa parishioners. Another part of our outreach is the parish seniors, who twice a month or more donate supplies and make more than 200 sandwiches for the multi-service center on Fifth Street.
Wisconsin Street
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This Month's StoriesTransportation Agency Attempts to Calm Hill Traffic Public Schools Partner with Parents, Principals and Local Businesses to Raise Funds in Hard Times New Design Guidelines Proposed for Eastern Neighborhoods More Bike Lanes Slated for Potrero Hill Merchants Announce Buy Local Pledge Community Continues to Discuss Redevelopment of Potrero Hill Public Housing Complex Saving the Environment, One Bug at a Time Shop in San Francisco, Get More for Your Money Home Cooked Meals That You Don’t Have to Prepare San Francisco to Host Renewable Energy Conference On-going FeaturesPublisher's View: Reconstruction
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