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Committee backs Far East Cafe liquor license, sends resolution to full board
Summary
San Francisco supervisors' Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted to recommend a type 48 on-sale general liquor license for Far East Cafe Social Club at 627 Grant Avenue, forwarding a resolution to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation.
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to ask the clerk to prepare a resolution finding that the issuance of a Type 48 on‑sale general liquor license to Far East Cafe Inc., doing business as Far East Cafe Social Club at 627 Grant Avenue, would serve the public convenience or necessity and to forward that recommendation to the full Board of Supervisors.
The motion was made by Supervisor Matt Dorsey, chair of the committee, and carried on a roll call in which Vice Chair Bilal Mahmood, “Member Salter” and Chair Dorsey were recorded as voting aye. The clerk announced "I have 3 ayes" and declared the motion passed.
San Francisco Police Department liaison Lt. David Goff told the committee that the applicant, operating under Luke's Local Inc., has applied to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for a Type 48 license to operate an on‑sale general public premises, which would allow the sale of wine, beer and distilled spirits. Goff said the site is in the Central Police District and on a high‑crime and high‑concentration block but reported zero police calls for service and zero police reports for the one‑year period reviewed, from March 11, 2024 to March 11, 2025. The Alcohol Liaison Unit recommended approval with conditions aimed at preventing loitering, maintaining litter‑free adjacent areas, and restricting audible noise beyond the premises except where an active entertainment permit authorizes amplified sound.
Supervisor Danny Sauter, whose district includes the Chinatown block where the venue is located, described the Far East Cafe as “the last full‑scale banquet hall in Chinatown” and said allowing the adjacent vacant space to be activated would bring “vibrancy, entertainment” to the neighborhood. A representative for the applicant, identified as Mr. Villalobos, said the Lee family that owns the property is respected in Chinatown and asked for the committee’s support; he also noted the owners were in mourning and could not attend.
No members of the public offered comment for this item. After the vote the committee congratulated the applicant and extended condolences to the family.
If the Board approves the resolution, the licensing application will continue through the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and any other administrative reviews required by state law.
