Another pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar business is taking over the space that formerly housed Automat in the NoPa neighborhood, and it comes from a former chef at Spruce and Quince.
Early to Rise was a pop-up long before the pandemic began, first launching in 2016. Chef Andrew McCormack cultivated a brunch experience centered on fun and 100% homemade ingredients and baked goods.
"Depending on when you might've joined us, you either saw ETR as an elaborate, bacchanalian, gloves-off family-style brunch party (pre-pandemic) or a counter-service destination for handmade bagels, donuts and rotating specials during the pandemic," McCormack writes on the Early to Rise website.
Then, last summer, when the Automat space opened up — fresh from a new buildout and a restaurant that barely lasted there two years — McCormack snapped it up. And now, Early to Rise will be serving breakfast and brunch there starting on February 29, following a brief remodel. Tablehopper was the first to report on the move back in September, but we now have a definitive opening date.
The remodel includes a new dining counter where the former ordering counter and bakery case was.
As Eater reports, there will be housemade bagels, English muffins, challah for French toast, and more — and everything from the hot sauce to the butter will again be made in-house. Expect doughnuts as well, and McCormack's cannoli.
McCormack has also purchased a 900-pound smoker that will be put to work smoking bacon.
For drinks, there will be local beers and wine, as well as a Bloody Mary and a Greyhound (presumably soju-based?).
Following the February 29 launch, breakfast and brunch will be dine-in only for at least two weeks, Eater says, but then the place will start rolling with picnic-style to-go boxes, perfect for toting to the Panhandle, Alamo Square Park, or into Golden Gate Park.
Meanwhile, Automat has gone back to being a pop-up, and was making appearances in the Outer Sunset this month.
Early to Rise - 1801 McAllister Street at Baker - Opening February 29
Rendering via ROY Hospitality