page_title: Sam Wo
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Sam Wo / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Sam Wo Restaurant, closed since 2012
context_page_description: Sam Wo is a Chinese restaurant located in San Francisco, California. The restaurant's first location on 813 Washington Street was famous for being a venerable mainstay in the local Chinatown area, having been in the same location since 1907. Sam Wo gained notoriety in the 1980s for being the employer of Edsel Ford Fung, who was known locally as the "world's rudest waiter". The restaurant was closed in 2012 due to safety concerns, and reopened in 2015 on nearby Clay Street.
context_section_description: There is no documented history on Sam Wo Restaurant and its early beginnings from its founding in 1912, although it was believed to be the oldest restaurant in Chinatown, built sometime around or after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. At least one account states that Sam Wo had occupied the same 813 Washington Street location from 1907. Sam Wo was primarily well-known by San Francisco locals for its "famous ... no-frills, late-night food and its you-get-what-you-get service" and 3 AM closing time. In the 1950s Sam Wo was a Beat Generation hangout, featuring such luminaries as Michael McClure, Allen Ginsberg, and Charles Bukowski.
  The Sam Wo Restaurant was famed as the workplace of Edsel Ford Fung, often called the "world's rudest, worst, most insulting waiter". Fung would refuse to serve customers whose appearance he disliked and would also harass patrons that complained about mistaken orders. After his passing in 1984, he left a lasting impression for a generation of San Franciscans. Some of his signs on the Washington street eatery remain such as those stating somewhat paradoxically for a Chinese restaurant, including "No Booze ... No Jive, No Coffee, Milk, Soft Drinks, Fortune Cookies."
  The unique layout of the original location at 813 Washington had patrons enter through the street-level kitchen after which they would ascend narrow stairways to dining rooms on the second and third stories. A dumbwaiter was used to deliver food to the upper floors, and patrons paid the cashier in front after dining.
  In April 2012, the San Francisco Health Department ordered the restaurant closed for rodent activity (rat feces in the kitchen) and other food safety and fire code violations. The restaurant closed on April 20. The restaurant experienced lines out the door on its last day of operation. With Sam Wo closed, late-night dining in Chinatown came to an end, marking the end of a decline that began in 1977 with the Golden Dragon Massacre, accelerated after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake which damaged the Embarcadero Freeway, the main route into Chinatown, and intensified after street sweeping was moved to 2 a.m., which caused many late-night diners to receive parking tickets.
  It's sort of like going back in time. I suspect the kitchen hasn't been remodeled since the '40s. It's not sustaining safe practices.
  — Lisa O'Malley, Supervisor, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Chronicle article, 20 April 2012
  Nevertheless the owner, David Ho, promised to develop a remediation plan and then reopen. A representative for the health department expressed hope stating, "...people are so very loyal to that restaurant, and San Francisco is a city where nothing goes down easy. I'm hoping for the best ..." Generally the main problem cited by all the parties involved was the facilities were too old and expensive modernization was needed. At a subsequent hearing on April 24, Ho listened to the "long history of repeat health code violations" and immediate actions to remedy them listed by city inspectors, which included the need for a commercial refrigeration unit; separate sinks for hand washing, dish washing, and food preparation; eliminating rodents; fixing the fire escape; and removing excessive extension cords. The hearing was attended by more than one hundred supporters of the restaurant, and Julie Ho, David's daughter, said "it won't be days and it won't be years — a month or two, probably" before they could reopen. Despite the expense required to revamp the century-old restaurant, the restaurant's landlord expressed support for keeping the restaurant open, although the restaurant's lease was due to expire in October 2012.
  Working with the Chinatown Community Development Center, the owner and the Department of Building Inspection agreed on the renovations required to bring the building up to modern codes. The estimated cost of implementing the remodel was $100,000 in September 2012, and a fundraiser was scheduled by the Save Sam Wo Coalition. One year later, the estimated cost of remodeling had soared to $300,000 in Sep
caption: The original location of Sam Wo Restaurant, December 2013.
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