Oakland restaurants say they’re on the brink of extinction

LED signs flash, advertising Vietnamese and Japanese fare, while the faint buzz of a tattoo gun reverberates from Temple Tattoo across the street. Nearby, a man loads his trunk with trays of gaudy pink and chocolate pastries from Happy Donuts while the punk-chic baristas at Timeless Coffee pour espresso, steam milk and settle into their usual cadence. 

On the surface, this commercial corridor has all the characteristics of a vibrant, walkable Oakland neighborhood. Though most people are aware that the city is beleaguered by property crime, few probably realize that many of the same businesses on this block — which always seem to be brimming with customers — are now begging state and local governments to help them combat theft, restore plummeting revenues and essentially clean up the city’s negative public image. The situation has become so dire, Oakland restaurateurs say it’s pushing them to the brink of collapse, and it’s unclear whether the city will be able to save them.  

Citywide crime statistics from the Oakland Police Department show that carjackings have steadily risen in the past five years, as have burglaries at local businesses. Though sensational Instagram accounts capitalize on hundreds of thousands of views by showcasing vehicles getting “bipped,” or broken into, OPD data shows that these crimes are less frequent in the city compared with pre-pandemic years. In 2019, for instance, reports of break-ins peaked at 12,364 before sharply dropping to 6,231 in 2020. They’ve steadily risen over the past three years, reaching levels similar to 2018’s number of reports (8,229). Regardless, restaurateurs in the city say that break-ins are dominating public conversation and sending their businesses into a tailspin.

Ryan Dixon, a general managing partner at Calavera, said that frequent break-ins, coupled with the Bay Area’s nightmare perception of Oakland, is crippling his restaurant. Patrons from nearby suburbs tell him they don’t feel safe walking downtown or taking BART, and they’re so worried about their cars getting bipped, they’ll shell out $60 for an Uber to see a show at the Fox Theater — and ultimately skip out on dinner because going out is already so expensive. Subsequently, he says, business at Calavera is down 25%, and staff has dwindled from 50 employees to about 30. In the past year alone, Dixon’s own car has been broken into four times, and though it’s a very real problem, he also admits that he’s scared of driving off more potential customers by publicly speaking about it. 

“We want them to be safe. We want their cars to be safe. We want them to come back. Our biggest problem right now is our lack of revenue because of people not coming,” he told SFGATE. “Hyping up the crime here scares more people away.” 

Nidos’ Backyard was so fed up with repeated car break-ins — and the city’s alleged lack of response — that it paid out of pocket to lease the parking lot across the street and outfitted it with security guards. Since then, business has significantly improved, owner Cory McCollow wrote to SFGATE. People are no longer leaving negative reviews because of the break-ins, and patrons have even started parking in the lot so they can walk to Nido’s sister location, Odin, for palomas and carne asada tacos three blocks away. 

But not every restaurant can afford to spend this type of money on security, Dixon said, especially in an industry with notoriously low profit margins.

Though Oakland’s perceived lawlessness is an ongoing problem, the city does have its fair share of unique crimes that seem to curse local restaurants. For instance, Jeff Weinstein, CEO of Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, told SFGATE that two drivers crashed their cars into the Franklin Street location in 2022 and 2023, causing over $250,000 in damages. The Oakland Police Department told SFGATE that occasionally, thieves will intentionally ram their vehicles into local businesses to steal cash or other goods, but Weinstein believes the more recent crash at Wise Sons could have been a result of reckless driving. 

Though no one was injured, employees working behind the counter are scared that yet another SUV will come careening into the deli. “I am worried, and they’re worried,” he told SFGATE. 

Aside from having to reconstruct the store twice, in the past two years, the doors have been smashed seven times, which can cost up to $8,000 to replace. If Weinstein is unable to renew the company’s insurance, he said, it simply doesn’t make financial sense to stay open. 

According to annual data from OPD, some of Oakland’s busiest corridors are in fact seeing a steady rise in commercial burglaries. The uptown area in particular saw a disturbing 112% increase in 2022 compared with 2021. Further east in the Fruitvale area, local businesses are also grappling with a swell of burglaries.  

“We’re seeing in the city of Oakland that a lot of the property crimes towards small businesses and also towards vehicles and auto theft and burglary is related to group violence and gang violence,” Leigh Hanson, Mayor Sheng Thao’s chief of staff, told SFGATE. While public safety is hindering business operations, she also maintains that federal recovery funds are drying up and office workers are staying indoors, directly impacting local communities. 

But business owners are rightfully concerned about the competence of their local leaders. This year, Oakland completely flubbed a critical opportunity to receive millions of dollars in grant funding to combat this very issue. 

For some Bay Area residents, their restaurants are more than just businesses. They are a way of life, which is why closing them down is so devastating. 

Steve Ranjbin, who owned Rooz Cafe near Lake Merritt, said he made the painful decision to shutter after 22 years once he realized that business was never going to return to pre-pandemic levels. “It’s been pretty heartbreaking, pretty sad,” he told SFGATE. “… That was like my social life. That was who I was. I don’t even know, like, what my purpose is now.” He blames dwindling foot traffic on crime, low morale and a lack of response from city officials, and he now plans on leaving California entirely. 

Ranjbin isn’t the only restaurant owner who’s frustrated with the city of Oakland, either. 

In a petition signed by over 150 small retailers, shop owners are demanding that local and state legislators provide operational relief and bolster security on a citywide scale. Amid their dozens of requests, one is to allocate millions of dollars in general funding to shops that experience frequent break-ins and provide surveillance cameras, gates and security guards.   

“In a world in which rising costs of goods and labor are already eating up our profits, the additional expenses of property crime, increased security measures, and a continual decline in revenues as customers are scared away has brought us to the brink of existence,” the September letter to government officials reads. 

Nigel Jones, the owner of Kingston 11 and Calabash who helped organize the petition, said he’s having to spend more time and money on security as opposed to standard restaurant operations. Just this past month, he said that someone broke into his restaurant, resulting in $2,000 in damages. To Oakland and San Francisco’s many independent businesses, this is yet another issue that’s pushing them to the brink of closure. “We don’t have a lot of money in the bank to ride through and through for months and months,” Jones told SFGATE. “… We don’t have anything to draw on.”

Ultimately, he believes that this cycle — combined with a lack of foot traffic from downtown office workers — is putting Oakland’s commercial ecosystem in peril. “We are the vital organ of any city,” he told SFGATE. 

In response, city officials say they’re making small steps toward recovery.

After meeting with various business owners on Aug. 12, Hanson, Mayor Sheng Thao’s chief of staff, told SFGATE that the town plans on distributing $1 million in funds to improve security in Hegenberger, Fruitvale and downtown Oakland for the holiday season — but Dixon called the funding “minimal,” and Jones described the city’s overall response as “bulls—t.” Leigh, too, referred to the funding as a significant albeit limited investment. 

She said the city is also working toward a general fund for small businesses struggling to recover in the post-pandemic world, possibly the first of its kind. “It’s a national challenge,” she said. And on Sept. 14, the city announced that it plans to launch a new $400,000 event sponsorship program in an effort to bring people back to Oakland’s commercial corridors and provide a “safer” city. 

Though restaurant owners are exasperated by the ongoing challenges, they’re embracing working with city leaders to help recover Oakland’s communities.

“We’re looking to solve problems,” Jones said. “We’re not looking to play politics.” 

“We’re not trying to have a recall,” he continued. “We’re trying to figure out: How do we provide you a clear direction? What is it we need? Because we are hurting. And we need help now.”