Iconic San Francico Chinatown restaurant faces closure after 115 years

Sam Wo, a 115-year-old staple in San Francisco’s Chinatown, is at risk of closing its doors by the end of the year. Co-owner David Ho, 69, is ready to retire after nearly 45 years of running the historic restaurant, leaving its future uncertain without a new chef or buyer in the coming months.

Ready for retirement: Sam Wo holds a special place in the hearts of many San Franciscans and has been a cultural landmark for generations. The restaurant’s walls are covered in memories, capturing visits from loyal customers and notable figures like Ken Jeong, Chef Martin Yan and Conan O’Brien. It was also once famous for employing “the world’s rudest waiter,” the legendary Edsel Fong.
Saving a legacy: Co-owner Steven Lee noted the urgency of finding the right person to take over before the restaurant’s lease expires at the end of the year. “We don’t feel comfortable signing the lease without a good operator,” Lee said. The team has enlisted a national broker to help solicit interest from potential buyers across the country, with the hope of keeping Sam Wo in its original Chinatown location. If no suitable buyer or chef is found in three months, Lee said they might resort to auctioning off the restaurant’s iconic elements, such as its original stools and signage.

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