Spring Schedule!!

Finally! San Francisco weather seemingly has changed for the better...this means longer, sunny days AND - a very busy Primo Patio. People want to sit outside after being pretty much cooped up during the incessant rains. We have been amping up this week, bringing our staff back and fine tuning how we can serve you better...believe it or not, there is a Method to the Madness!

If you come in and there is a line, please Stay on the Right Side of the corridor...this is the only access way for the Servers to come and go...at times, customers seemingly take offense when we ask them to move to the right side of the hallway...this is only for everyone's safety.


Here are some suggestions to making your visit/lunch at the Patio smoother:

IF you are a group of 4 or more, call for a reservation.

CONSIDER arriving at the Patio slightly before Noon or after 1:30pm...each year I try to remind customers that this is so easy and makes their lunch hour be just that!

TO GO ORDERS tend to get crazy between, again, 12 Noon-1:pm. If you try to schedule your lunch pickup slightly earlier or later, it tends to go faster...Another thought, consider bringing cash for orders under $10; we have one charge machine and the Waitstaff from the back Patio have first dibs, so to speak, and this can slow things down considerably.

LARGE ORDERS are so welcome, as usual...however, PLEASE try to call before noon to place the order...your lunch is cooked to order and the whole process is smoothed out by having the proper time to prepare particularly large orders. As I mentioned in an earlier Blog, we take pride in getting the orders done "right" and on time...calling beforehand insures that this will happen.

HOURS CHANGE at this time of year:

MON/TUES (remain) 8am-3pm
WED/THURS/FRI/SAT 8am-4pm

HOWEVER, we follow the Giants Baseball Hours- we remain OPEN until gametime (i.e., 715pm) and OPEN on Sundays until 1:15pm (gametime)

Please feel free to comment; I am hoping Someone is reading this!

February and - Forward!

My last blog shared with our customers a big change which most of you have experienced already - the Patio has no roof. It was totally removed at the end of December, due to mean politics with certain neighbors at 200 Townsend. At first we considered going through the Permit Process, but after meeting with one of the permit expeditors, we realized that getting a permit to build a roof over the patio was prohibitive for many reasons...the laws have changed in certain regards; the neighborhood is high profile, and then - the cost. We do not own the building and have already put in mucho dinero over the years to make it work better...any more simply is not an option. Then, we contacted a tent company we had utilized 10 years ago; again, status quo has changed on how things must be done; this also turned out to be totally out of budget, as a big tent would have to be designed special order due to rain/drain issues...again, completely out of the picture financially. So, we have sloshed through January and most of this month, pretty much ok, with most of the rain in the evenings, not during lunchtime when customers want to sit out in the patio. (We still do have our big umbrellas). Keep in mind, we DO remain open when it is raining during the day; we just take To Go orders and Deliveries (8 or more orders/Mon-Fri can be delivered-). Good news is: Spring really is trying to get here, and will! Which brings Giants baseball! And good weather!! During baseball season, we remain open until game time, usually 715pm. Sunday games also find us open, but only until 115pm, when the game begins.
Regarding large orders: we welcome them. However, to be able to organize, shop and prepare for big orders (20 or more-), it is so much easier if you, or your office, call us at least 1 day in advance. And, if it is a last-minute order for 10 or more items, PLEASE consider calling between 9am-11am to place the order. We take pride in getting the orders done "right" and in a timely fashion...truly, each order is cooked to order, so sometimes it can take a bit longer if an order for 20 lunches is placed at Noon, the SAME DAY!
There are customers who ask if we sell Primo Sauce (yes-$8.00 per 20 oz cup). Be sure to refrigerate it, and use it within 2-3 days, or- throw it out. Also, we can sell raw, marinated Jerk Chicken for you to bbq at your own house, that is $5.50/two good-sized filets.
Sooo, the countdown to true Patio weather is on! If you have any social events, birthdays, baptisms, office parties you would like to schedule for Spring or Summer, and through November (if the weather permits-), please let us know as soon as possible...we get super busy and like to always JUST SAY YES to our customers...
Please comment or call if you have any questions...
See you soon!

End of January Update

After sloshing through most of January, wet, freezing and dark grey, today we had a nice day...we were so happy to open the patio and serve customers again! As I mentioned earlier, we are featuring ToGo orders and deliveries, while the weather is so iffy...we are also looking into the possibility of renting a big tent to cover the patio so the customers can sit out back, no matter what. It is not a perfect solution, but perhaps doable. The idea of going through the Permit process and constructing a "real" roof is just out of our financial comfort zone; we do not own the building and this would end up costing between 15,000-35,000, not something we could recoup easily, in this economy. February usually brings not only Valentines Day(!) AND my birthday(!) but the beginning of better weather...we only count the minutes! THEN, Spring and - the beginning of Giants Baseball! Literally, we cannot wait! That is our Season on the Patio!
Again, thank you for your business and bearing with us through this wet season; we realize it is wonderful for the Earth, but it is truly hard for a TOTALLY patio restaurant!

1st Blog for 2010!

After a fun break for the Holiday Season, we re-open Monday January 4th with hopes for a better year for everyone. As many of you know, we were forced by a "neighbor" to take down our Patio roof. That is done and we will be taking it day by day...if it is inclement weather, obviously the Patio (out back-) will not have table service. The RESTAURANT, however, will be open for TO-GO orders and also, we will offer DELIVERY for 8 full orders or more for the SOMA area and Potrero Hill neighborhoods. In years past, many customers had "post-holiday" lunches/celebrations at the office. Keep us in mind; we make it easy and fun for you to get down to the serious business of eating! Also to warm you up are the daily soups Noel makes...the offering changes, depending upon the inspiration! There is, for example, Chicken Soup, Mixed Seafood Soup, Lentil Soup, African Sweet Potato Soup, Spicy Vegetable Soup, etc. Today, Monday, will be fresh Turkey Soup. Another item for the colder weather wlll be Hot Apple Cider, again fresh, not from a mix-very tasty and this can also be modified to become Hot Spiced Wine. We still do have our umbrellas for the hardier folks to dine on cool days outside. We look forward to seeing you and also for you to check out our bright new paint job! Happy, Healthy New Year and Welcome Back to the Land of Jerk Chicken, or should I
say - the ISLAND of Jerk Chicken!

December 14th Update

The Holidays are truly upon us! Many people are not having "big" or elaborate parties this year...keep us in mind for a fun, stay-to-the-budget lunch in the Patio or a catering that i can make easy for you when you arrive back at the office...we will be open until 12/24, close and then re-open january 4, Monday. At this point, we are not sure if we will still have our roof out back, until we don't have it, it is lunch on the Patio as usual. When the roof IS removed, we will only be able to serve lunch out back when the weather cooperates...cold is one thing, rain is another! It will be a good idea to call us, 957-1129, if you are not sure whether we are serving outside or not. Otherwise, it will be TAKE-OUT only on bad-weather days. And catering, for larger orders. As we wrote previously, we will deliver for these larger orders. Another idea for seasonal parties at home - make it easy on yourself - order some marinated jerk chicken and cook it yourself, if you enjoy getting out the barby.
Bear with us; we are trying to figure out WHAT to do, if anything, about this roof issue. It may be cost-prohibitive, which would make the Patio "active" during Spring and Summer and early Fall...we shall see.
Please be aware also, in these times where everyone is conscious of the penny, and where it goes, that we try to keep our prices fair to the customer, while bringing you the freshest, tastiest dishes possible...
enjoy the holidays!

Patio Updates for Winter

We are finally up and running again after quite a long time! There are some new developments - or should I say Undevelopments - coming up. Due to "politics" with a certain neighbor, we are being forced to take down the roof over the back patio by the end of the year. For the time being, we will not be able to even consider the Permit Process, the cost involved to put up a new roof, etc. So, for the next few months, while weather is so bitterly cold, we will be reminding our beloved customers of our catering services, and emphasizing Take-Out. We are also going to offer DELIVERY on orders for 8 or more full breakfast or lunch items to the surrounding SOMA area, including Potrero Hill, between the hours of 11:30am - 1:30pm, Monday through Friday, through the end of February. The only thing we ask is for the customer to come to the car and pick the orders up. We can call you beforehand and tell you the amount; cash is wonderful. Should you need to charge the order, we accept MC or VISA or DISCOVERY, and can run it before the order is delivered. The orders will be "easy" to deal with; we label each item for easy identification. We have been doing catering for lunches and parties since we opened in 1993, and so we know how to make it work well for the hungry customers!

Stay tuned for future developments! Feel free to call us or comment or - offer suggestions, should you have a pertinent idea.

Dishing It Up....Daily

Dishing It Up....Daily

Happy holidays to all our friends! Well here we are, back up and running again, finally. To kick off the Holiday Season and to warm up from the cool weather, we will begin serving Hot Spiced Wine tomorrow, Friday December 4th. And as the holidays approach, you should consider having a daytime Office holiday Party.

Stay tuned for future developments.