Episode 20: Blue Plate SF

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“So hopefully outdoor dining culture will continue and foster and, bloom a little bit more”

In this episode, our featured voices are Jeff Trenam, Owner, and Shannon Walter the manager of Blue Plate SF a restaurant located on Mission and Valencia Streets in San Francisco. The Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn have hit our neighborhood restaurants very hard. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association has estimated that Fifty Percent of restaurants will be lost from the pandemic. Due to increasing corona-virus cases and hospitalizations, the City of San Francisco has paused its reopening plans that were scheduled this past Tuesday, November 3rd. The plan was to expand capacity such as increasing indoor dining to 50%, and now it will remain at 25%.

Jeff Trenam

I met my business partner, Cory Obenour, at UCSB, where I graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies and Botany. After college, Cory and I both moved to San Francisco where I worked for the City and County of San Francisco's Rec and Parks Department in the Laborer's Union as a gardener. For five years, I had gardening beats throughout the city, from Sharps Park in Pacifica to McLaren Park, to Golden Gate Park. I left the city job to start Blue Plate with Cory in 1998. Our doors opened in 1999. I constructed our outdoor garden and I oversee all of the operations of the front-of-the-house.

Shannon Walter

Born in Ohio. I attended and graduated from the school of Ohio State University. There, I met many friends, artists and musicians, and scientists alike...I found my way to San Francisco, after driving on tour with our band.

The beautiful geography of the city asked me to stay.

I met Cory and JT (Blue Plate owners).

They have enriched my, and our community with inspiration and love.

Blue Plate SF

In 1999 two friends from college who knew absolutely nothing about opening a restaurant did exactly that. Going on 22 years now, Blue Plate has organically grown into an iconic staple of the Outer Mission neighborhood where it was founded.

Blue Plate serves interpretations of new American fare with a Mediterranean twist, using the best Northern California produce and local farms

The Blue Plate opened in 1999. Envisioned was a casual neighborhood spot where friends and neighbors could enjoy the best ingredients our seasons have to offer. The kitchen stays committed to using the highest quality local produce and meats in their classic American and rustic Mediterranean dishes. Through a working friendship with Bay Area farmers, the Blue Plate in San Francisco is expanding the notion of blue plate special to include dining that is casual, affordable, and responsible.

Support a Local Restaurant

Support Blue Plate SF by making a reservation, buying a gift card or playing it safe during the Covid-19 pandemic and doing a Take Out / To Go of their new American fare with a Mediterranean twist

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“I think places like ours where you can come in, sit down and enjoy a full service dining experience; there’s something culturally refueling about that, about sharing a meal with folks”

— Jeff Trenam, Owner, Blue Plate SF

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