SAN FRANCISCO — Jen Hall has owned The Beer Hall off Polk Street in San Francisco for 11 years.

“We opened 11 years ago today. We opened in 2013 and so, yeah, we’re just trying to be a cornerstone for this neighborhood,” Hall said.

The Beer Hall is right across from X’s headquarters and, back in 2013 when the company was called Twitter, Jen says this area was the place to be.

“It was definitely the heyday. When we opened, Twitter was here, it was sort of a tech hub. There were other tech offices, residential buildings were going up and there were just a lot more people,” Hall said.

Jen says they used to partner with Twitter, providing beverage services for the building and hosting happy hours for their employees.

Things were going great, then the pandemic hit.

“The streets, it’s just not the same. People aren’t going out anymore,” Hall said.

Jen says the work-from-home mandates gutted the neighborhood and their business.

When Elon Musk bought Twitter and started moving things around Jen says that only added to the issues. Now that Musk has announced X is officially leaving the city, Jen says the worst of the impact is probably already behind them.

“He’s been pretty vocal about his disdain for San Francisco and its current state. Honestly, it’s been bad news for this neighborhood for the past four years,” Hall said.

Now Jen says she just wants to focus on the future. Her business continues to chug along and they’re hoping other businesses in the area can do the same.

“I certainly hope that people will come back. I think that small businesses are the heart of San Francisco. That’s why people want to live here and stay here,” Hall said.

Jen says it’ll certainly be sad to see what once was such an iconic building sit vacant but she’s hopeful it’ll find a new tenant and this neighborhood will find a new energy.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The former housing director at a San Francisco nonprofit has been charged with several felonies including rape, sexual battery and domestic violence, according to the district attorney’s office.

Jon Jacobo, 35, surrendered to police and was arrested and booked on Monday.

Jacobo was the director of a powerful housing nonprofit but resigned last year after our media partner the San Francisco Standard’s investigation revealed several assault claims against him.

MORE: Rising SF political star resigns from nonprofit amid sexual assault, domestic violence accusations

At least three women say they filed police reports over alleged abuse and harassment.

According to court documents, one of the victims met Jacobo in 2019 while they were working in the field of affordable housing. The relationship turned into a friendship and then into an intimate relationship. However, court documents say in February 2021 the victim ended that relationship and told Jacobo she was only interested in a platonic friendship.

On April 3 and April 4, prosecutors claim Jacobo sexually assaulted the victim after she said she did not want any sexual contact with the suspect which he stated he understood.

Jacobo has been charged with four counts including rape, sexual battery and domestic violence.

The district attorney’s office moved to have him detained until the trial due to the public safety risk he poses.

RESOURCES: Get help with sexual assault, rape, and abuse

“I would like to thank the survivor for her courage to come forward and cooperation with law enforcement’s investigation,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “I would also like to thank the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Victims Unit for their thorough and careful investigation. My office will now do everything in our power to ensure that there is accountability in this case.”

Authorities say although charges have been filled this remains an active investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.

First things first: Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack isn’t going anywhere. That being said, the business is changing ownership. An eagle-eyed tipster and Emmy’s regular recently noted some slight changes including a new website and a handful of new menu items. As it turns out, Emmy’s bartender Michael Irish bought the business and officially took over on Wednesday, July 31, as first reported by Broke-Ass Stuart. It’s perhaps the best case scenario for the sale of a longtime San Francisco favorite; Irish saved up and was in the market to buy and run his own bar, and Emmy’s founder Emmy Kaplan wanted to sell. “I was doing it all on my own through Covid, working every day delivering food and even opening a temporary grocery for neighbors,” Kaplan told BAS. “I never wanted to close the Shack but I started to think about different options.”

Irish hails from Brooklyn and snagged his first San Francisco job at Emmy’s, working as a bartender for the last three years at the Bernal Heights restaurant. Most importantly, he understands the shack’s place in the neighborhood. “I’m gonna keep it really fun and silly,” Irish tells Eater SF, “and we’re still going to have fun for the holidays and put up all the lights and the fake snow and everything, as Emmy’s always been doing for years. I’ve been a loyal employee and I’ve always liked the place.”

Still, Irish is placing his stamp on the place. Cocktails will run between $12 and $14 while shots are priced at $5, and there will be happy hours, as BAS reports. Irish will maintain the majority of the menu but he also plans to add new dishes. On the weekends, food will be available until midnight and Irish is also preparing a whopper of a regular Monday night (cash only) deal starting Monday, August 12: One salad, one appetizer, one entree, one dessert, and one bottle of wine for $60. “Everyone complains about how expensive things are,” Irish says, “so put your money where your mouth is and we’ll see you on Mondays.”

One thing that has already changed, however, that Irish hopes won’t freak people out: The unicorn mural is now gone and replaced with old-school, 1950s wood paneling. “I had to make something more mine,” he says. “I’m not a big unicorn guy. But that’s the only thing that’s gone — everything else will be the same.”

Irish promises he will keep the Dolly Parton booth up, and when he gets some time, he’ll add a tribute booth for Kaplan, a fitting salute from Irish as he and his family take over as the next generation of Emmy’s. “Especially here and in Brooklyn, all these bigger cities, places just leave all the time,” Irish says. “This is not one of those cases. If you liked Emmy’s before, you’ll still like it. I promise.”

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Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack

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Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack (3230 Mission Street, San Francisco) is open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with plans to extend weekend hours soon.