So much for keeping things the same. The new owners of the Castro's historic Cafe Flore hope to eventually shake things up at the indoor-outdoor restaurant — partially by turning the corner spot into the city's first cannabis café. And, as one of the owners also happens to be the chairman of San Francisco's Cannabis State Legalization Task Force, they might be able to pull it off. Maybe.
The Bay Area Reporter spoke with the new owners, who shared their vision of weed-infused food and drink served alongside tapas and cocktails. "Cannabis is definitely part of our long-term vision," Terrance Alan, of the aforementioned Task Force, told the paper.
Alan and his business partner, Aaron Silverman, aim to take advantage of the recently approved Task Force recommendations that suggest the city should create new licenses to allow for "the diverse businesses within the adult-use cannabis industry, such as baking or cooking licenses, [and] consumption lounges." And while he concedes that Cafe Flore — to be renamed Flore — won't start selling marijuana food for at least a few years, pending changes in existing law, he sees the Castro corner as the perfect spot for the city's first pot lounge. "The Castro is the neighborhood where medical marijuana got started in this city," he told the paper.
However, Alan acknowledges one sticky-icky point that may hinder his plans: Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in California, explicitly prohibits businesses from selling both pot and alcohol. Cafe Flore has a liquor license, which they likely do not want to give up. Despite this, Alan believes that the law could be amended "in time" to allow for businesses like his to sell both though right now that's pure hopes and dreams.
In the meantime, he and Silverman intend to make some immediate changes that won't run afoul of the law. The menu is going to be revamped to focus on shared plates, and a cocktail consultant is being hired to rework the drink menu. The seating will also likely be changed, and the patio is to be made over to be more all-weather.
Silverman and Alan officially take charge of the restaurant today, and a grand reopening is planned for around Valentine's Day.
Previously: Historic Castro Cafe Flore Sold To LGBT Buyers Who Plan To Keep It The Same
