LATEST DECEMBER 5, 3:20 p.m. Hilda and Jesse restaurant apologized for refusing to serve three uniformed and armed San Francisco police officers on Friday.
“We made a mistake and apologize for the unfortunate incident on Friday when we asked members of the San Francisco Police Department to leave our restaurant,” wrote co-owners Rachel Sillcocks and Kristina Liedags Compton in a statement posted on Sunday afternoon Instagram was released. “We are grateful to all members of the force who work hard to ensure our safety, especially in these challenging times.”
Yelp added a disclaimer to Hilda and Jesse’s page stating that the site is being monitored by its support team after a bombing of negative reviews earned the restaurant a one-star rating.
Dec 4, 10:30 p.m. A North Beach restaurant refused to serve three uniformed and armed San Francisco police officers on Friday because the staff were “uncomfortable with their numerous guns.”
According to an Instagram post from Hilda and Jesse, an all-day brunch restaurant that opened its doors on Nov. 1, the staff “politely asked” officers to leave.
“We respect the San Francisco Police Department and are grateful for the work they are doing,” the post said.
The statement also added, “This is not a political statement, we did what we thought was best for our employees.”
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott tweeted a response Saturday night: “The San Francisco Police Department stands for safety with respect, even if it means respecting wishes that our officers and I find discouraging and personally disappointing.
“I believe the vast majority of San Franciscans welcome their police officers, who deserve to know that they are valued for the difficult work we ask of them – in their uniforms – to protect our neighborhoods and businesses.”
(1/3) Community engagement is a core principle of the police reforms of the SFPD in the 21st https://t.co/nJsk4hy0tB
– SFPD boss Scott (@SFPDChief) December 5, 2021
On Saturday night, Hilda and Jesse at 701 Union Street were inundated with negative reviews on both Yelp and Google. It currently has one star and over 400 reviews on Yelp; The company usually issues a disclaimer for companies that receive an unusually high number of reviews due to controversy, but this banner was not added on Sunday morning.
