Hey Friends,
Eileen here.
We have made the tough decision to close the Ritual Coffee bar in the Bayview’s Flora Grubb Gardens permanently. Opened in 2007, the Ritual at Flora Grubb was our second location.
We feel so fortunate to have been able to collaborate with the visionaries behind Flora Grubb, and operate a world-class coffee bar in a magical garden environment for thirteen wonderful years.
I know that working here was a favorite work experience for many of our staff, including me. I have many memorable experiences of fostering community and introducing specialty coffee to a new neighborhood. It was amazing having an insider view to all of the neat projects that happen behind nondescript roll-up doors in the Bayview.
A favorite moment was watching neighbors who had lived on the same block for years, but had never even seen one another before, introduce themselves at our coffee bar. And having a regular who had never even thought about where coffee came from before ask when we’d have a Kenyan coffee in again, because he so preferred it to all the other offerings. We have so many fond memories of our regulars and visitors – not to mention all the kids that grew up before our eyes, and the dogs, and Cammy, the cat. We all felt lucky going to work in what feels like a tropical garden paradise.
Due to COVID, we’ve been shuttered there for a year. It’s unclear when it will feel safe to walk around a retail shop sipping coffee, let alone when we can host people on heated benches again, so it’s time to close.
We’d absolutely collaborate with Flora Grubb Gardens again, and hope to create another magical garden cafe experience in the future. In the meantime, please visit us at the other Ritual Coffee locations – in the Mission, Hayes Valley, the Haight, and up in Napa at the Oxbow Public Market.
Flora Grubb is open for all your houseplant and gardening needs Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am – 6 pm. They even sell Ritual coffee beans now 😉
Until we can meet again for coffee,
Eileen
