New Businesses Open, Expand In San Francisco As COVID Restrictions Ease
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Several new businesses in San Francisco are opening on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, pumping a new kind of energy and optimism back into the city.
As cases fall across the Bay Area and restrictions ease, businesses are ready to welcome customers.
Hotel Zelos in SoMa took off the plywood covering its entrance a few days ago, after being boarded up for more than a year.
Saturday evening, the music was back on and the grill fired up on the terrace at its 5th floor restaurant and bar Dirty Habit.
"We were both hesitant, but also very excited and we're very ready to kind of just get out of the house, be here, enjoy ourselves, and feel like we're actually part of the world again," said diner Harper Bokum-Fauth of San Francisco.
This is the first reopening weekend for both the restaurant and the hotel.
"It's great honestly," said Hotel Zelos Director of Sales and Marketing Aaron Feeney. "It was kind of weird to not have people around, I mean in this industry, we're a human industry so it's been amazing to actually invite guests back, to have them in the restaurant and to have our colleagues in and around the hotel again and breathe life back into the property."
To celebrate, Dirty Habit is serving up brand new dishes like caviar bao buns and offering a month-long yakitori special.
For those looking for more space, a few guest rooms have been converted into private dining spaces, featuring a special pre fixe menu.
Hotel Zelos has also adopted touch free and pandemic-friendly measures throughout the property.
In the East Cut, TruFusion San Francisco is getting ready to open for the first time in mid-April.
The full-body fitness studio on Fremont Street offers a mix of classes including boxing, hot yoga, circuit training, and cycling.
Construction began before the pandemic, so TruFusion was able to incorporate hospital-grade air sanitization and disinfection systems.
"Not only do we have the air sanitization system that keeps the air 99.9% virus free, but also we still have to adhere to the social distancing, wearing masks, everything else that the government is asking us to do," said TruFusion San Francisco Owner Kate Loughlin
The San Francisco location is Loughlin's second franchise after TruFusion Walnut Creek.
"We're so excited to get people indoors. It really feels like people want to be coming back together as a community, people want to be getting back in shape, taking care of themselves in a way that we haven't been able to," she said.
TruFusion San Francisco is also offering a number of deals to attract new customers.
