San Francisco bars could boycott beer distributor

If you’ve recently returned to San Francisco bars freshly vaccinated, you may have encountered an unexpected problem: your local pub no longer has a favorite beer.

According to KPIX, dozens of bars in San Francisco have had problems with distributor Golden Brands, who sells popular brands like Corona, Modelo, Miller, PBR, and even San Francisco’s very own Anchor. While many bars used to deliver beer once a week, Golden Brands now only delivers once a month to some accounts.

For smaller bars with limited storage space, including Elixir in the Mission and St. Mary’s Pub in Bernal Heights, storing a month’s worth of beers is impossible – so they have no choice but to draw Golden Brands beers on tap.

“We don’t have any Golden Brands products,” Maria Davis, owner of St. Mary’s Pub, told KPIX. “I would like to. People ask about it. We have people who work for Anchor.”

To address the problem, bars in San Francisco have come together. In early June, more than 80 bars signed a letter from the SF Bar Owner Alliance received by SFGATE asking Golden Brands to make changes, including weekly deliveries and improving customer service.

“The UK’s ordering and sales process was so poor that it became a burden to get their product,” the letter said in a quote from a member of the SF Bar Owner Alliance. “Miller and PBR used to be our bestsellers, now we’ve switched to Budweiser and Tecate. In my 20 years in the bar industry, I’ve never felt so offended by any company.”

If Golden Brands refuses to make the changes, the bars will organize a boycott of Golden Brands’ products.

“Needless to say, the last year has been a difficult and stressful time for all businesses, but especially for bars and restaurants,” the letter continues. “We have wasted an inordinate amount of our limited resources, time, and patience on Golden Brands. We ask that you treat all of your customers, not just your greatest, with respect.”