In what most definitely is the end of an era, Mission District bar Bender's Bar & Grill has decided that after this weekend it will no longer continue the 12-year tradition of free Sunday BBQ's. The sad announcement was made via Facebook, and in many ways perfectly encapsulates how the Mission has for some time no longer catered to broke dirtbags (this writer says with affection, being one myself) and instead revels in its higher paid residents.
"[The] Mission is a changing," bar owner Johnny Davis explained to Capp Street Crap when asked about the reason behind the closure.
However, as always, things are complicated, and Davis furthered explained to CSC that the decision to kill weekly gathering of people on the bar's back patio was both a business and a practical one.
The origination of our “FREE BBQ” was due to the fact that our kitchen was not opening on Sunday or Monday. We have new chefs in our kitchen that upon taking over showed interest in serving food on Sundays.We originally shot down the idea, but over time and the decline of interest or too many lame-asses showing up expecting to eat w/o being a bar customer, we have given in.
There was also the Fire Dept informing us on their last random walk-thru inspection (when the patio door happened to be open) that us having the BBq on the patio was not allowed.
The final free BBQ is this Sunday, and kicks off at 2:00 p.m. We strongly recommend that you head on down, eat a free burger, buy a beer, and say goodbye to something that once helped to make the Mission great.
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