Luisa Confidential

We get letters, part II

2009-08-11T03:47:00.000-07:00

Sent in by sharp-eyed Cameron is this little article over on KTVU regarding SF's own symbol of the recession, Union Street.
"Hanson said Union Street has been hurt by too many stores selling clothing, and landlords raising rents during a recession as opposed to lowering them.
"They have to reduce it," said Hanson. "What are they going to do with empty space?" "

Uttered by Luisa, the landlord, who rented out space to a clothing store next door to her flagship location on Union and regularly drives out her tenants by unrealistic rent increases. I guess we can chalk up this "victim of greedy landlords" persona as her latest reinvention. Or as the latest personality to take up residence in an increasingly crowded mindspace.

(As a point of digression, this KTVU article is not signed, but I would truly love to meet the reporter who managed to track down La Hanson and either by use of a broom + corner or brute force + sodium pentathol get the woman to talk to any member of the press. Truly an astounding feat, and sir or madam reporter, my hat is off to you.)

Ding Dong! The witch is dead...

2009-05-27T03:05:00.000-07:00

Not literally, of course, because then this post would be in bad taste. No, gentle readers, she's out of the game, financially speaking.

In the last week, Luisa Hanson has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The good folks over at BarleycornSurvivors.org have uncovered the bomb, and have even posted a copy of the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. I assume the source is the United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California, but since their court record search system is a paying service (PACER), I will wait for confirmation on that.

But for the moment assuming this is not some horrible joke, I'd like to point out a few things that struck me as odd in the filing (the least of which are that she's managed to get yet another lawyer, and said lawyer spelled Hanson's name and the name of her corporation wrong!). In the filing, Hanson says she owes an estimated $10 million-50 million, and that she only has "$0-$50,000" in assets. Really? I guess condos on Nob Hill must not be what they used to be, as she certainly owns at least 2 in the building at 1177 California Street, one of them her personal residence. Next on the list, let's not forget she owns the building Luisa's Restaurant occupies. Leaving out the commercial properties she has surely leveraged and leveraged again to buy more property, she also has a car and an Imelda Marcos-worthy collection of headbands. Surely her assets total more than a mere $50,000.

As part of the filing, Ms. Hanson was required to submit to credit counseling. The filing shows (on p. 6) that she completed it over the phone and internet, but that no debt repayment plan was prepared. One can only imagine how the counseling, which was to "outlin[e] the opportunities for available credit counseling and assis[t] ... in performing a related budget analysis" went.

Pages 7 and 8 show her largest unsecured creditors, with a whopping $81,000 owed to Rewards Network, Inc., one of those restaurant listing services for, you guessed it, rewards programs. (How does one rack up an $81,000 debt with them?). She then lists $80,000 from the Heritage Bank of Commerce to purchase a liquor license for her attempted Nob Hill bar, Duffy's. Ouch, Heritage Bank of Commerce.

For now, I leave you, dear readers, to the enjoyment of this reading material.

Torre del Grego = Luisa Hanson, or, It Ain't Over til the Crazy Harpy Sings

2008-12-30T13:41:00.001-08:00

So I received a comment from John, as well as a few notes from my neighborhood sources about the newish liquor license application that's appeared in the window of the old Front Room (1500 California) and Barleycorn (1415 Larkin) locations. The applicant is listed as a certain Torre del Grego.
Not so unexpectedly, it's just another trick. The last time she applied for liquor licenses at those locations, Hanson was notified by the Alcoholic Beverages Control office that she was facing a "large and well organized opposition." So of course she hits on the bright idea (several months later, I might add--it's not like we're dealing with Einstein here) to apply in a different name.
Now, yes, Hanson did set up a corporation with that name a few years back, and it's been attached to some of her other failed projects here in the city. However, the corporation has been suspended. In my experience that can happen a couple different ways: not filing the required paperwork for quarterly minutes, not paying taxes, or not paying the state's fee (most likely in my book).

As in all good bureaucracies, the Secretary of State's office probably doesn't talk to the ABC and other permitting authorities, so please do protest--either on the grounds that this shows a blatant disregard for California business law, that Luisa Hanson/Torre del Grego is still not a welcome presence in the neighborhood, or whatever. You have until January 16 to do so. The local ABC office can be contacted at SFO.Direct@abc.ca.gov, by mail at 71 Stevenson St, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105, or on the phone at (415) 356-6500.
John, should you feel like sharing the picture of the liquor license application at either or both location, please do so (feel free to post on the Barleycorn group on Flickr, for example)! The name of the particular agent to contact is listed on the posted application.

Michael Bauer vs. Luisa Hanson

2008-09-08T02:12:00.000-07:00

In doing a little research for the last post, I came upon this intriguing entry in the SF Superior Court name search database*: this case against Michael Bauer! She's listed as the defendant in this case--in spite of what various reporters think of this woman being a one-woman litigation machine, she's mostly the defendant in the cases she's party to. So what the hell did she do this time??
As usual, any hints, actual knowledge, guesses or "fan" fiction welcome in the comments.

____________
*In this case, I searched under "Hansen, Luisa". In the previous post, I searched for "Hanson, Luisa".

A closing

2008-09-08T02:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm a bit late on this, but it looks like The Holy Grail has closed, according to SF Eater.
Does this mean Luisa gets another crack at a liquor license? If ever there were a time for the Lower Polk Association to endorse a bar (before La Hanson gets her hands on the license), now's the time! (Of course, maybe it's also the time to for any readers out there who are friends with Mr. O'Reilly to casually schedule lunch with him and let him know the pain he's in for* if he decides to try to sell his license to her...).

___________________________________
*Search for "Hanson, Luisa"

Here be monsters

2008-09-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

Only for the brave of heart: click here.

I don't know if I'm more appalled by the close-up of her talking head or the fact she's credited as the "chef." Eek, indeed.

A note on Vinoteca

2008-07-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day: going by this reference Vino Teca (or Vinoteca) has been open for a whole 40 days! I know, it seems like just 41 days ago we all thought the establishment would never open.
Of course, in the eyes of the County Clerk, Vino Teca (or Vinoteca) is still not officially open and this particular fictitious business name is still up for grabs...
You see, La Hanson has never actually filed a DBA with the SF County Clerk, which she is required to do by California State Law. And moreover, according to the CA State Business and Professions Code, section 17910: "Every person who regularly transacts business in this state for profit under a fictitious business name shall do ... the following: (a) File a fictitious business name statement in accordance with this chapter not later than 40 days from the time the registrant commences to transact such business..."
So once again, our fair protagonist is shown flouting the law. And while I can't speak for certainty on this point, I'm guessing that not filing the DBA like she should have means she also hasn't paid the necessary business tax for Vinoteca required when anyone starts a new business.

If anyone is interested, one can get updates at SFGov's Business Name Search (I personally have tried to hit all possibilities, searching for Vinoteca, Vino Teca, La Vinoteca, etc.), and to complain I suggest one call the County Clerk's office at (415) 554-4950 or email them at County.Clerk@sfgov.org.

We get letters!

2008-06-14T16:07:00.001-07:00

Well, more just comments. Still, though, they can be quite useful. Here's a good one--and quite topical as it concerns the recently opened Vinoteca/Vino Teca/La Vinoteca (which one is it again?) on Union:
On June 9 Anonymous wrote:
"She is allowing her patrons at La Vinoteca to violate the smoking ban in San Fran restaurants. She has ashtrays on the tables outside and hasn't stopped them from smoking..."
This is an interesting question. Isn't smoking allowed outdoors? As I don't smoke, I keep losing track of recent decisions on this matter. And certainly there are some local jurisdictions in California where you could be locked up for even thinking of smoking. Perhaps smoking is allowed outdoors here, but not at restaurants or other outdoor sections of eating/drinking establishments? Or is Union Street seceding from San Francisco in order to enact stricter regulations vis-a-vis smoking and mandatory mani-pedi appointments?
Of course I'm ignoring the biggest question raised by this comment: Luisa's actually got patrons at Vino Teca?

Rumblings and rumors

2008-06-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been hearing quite a bit about the application for a liquor license at the old Front Room location at 1500 California St. (which space La Hanson is imaginatively dubbing "1500 Pizza & Pasta"). Others have covered this event and the ensuing flood of protests much better than I ever could, so I've left that part up to them. Recently, however, I was privy to another rumor floating around: that in light of said influx of protests, Hanson had taken down the notification at 1500 of a liquor license application, and consequently must have given up her own pretensions to opening the restaurant there.
Well my pretties, the glass is only half-full. The liquor license for 1500 is still listed as "Pending" on the California ABC license query system, although it has been held as of May 20 for an "H & L protest." Looks like, once again, our favorite li'l lawbreaker has decided the rules about notification don't apply to her, and she has merely taken down the sign.
Now, anyone know what an "H & L protest" means?

Luisa's Available?

2008-02-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

Walking down Union Street this evening, my contacts spotted a curious thing: a space available sign hanging over the walkway to Luisa's/Notte. I know Yelp has marked Luisa's as "closed" ever since she was temporarily shut down by the Health Department when the befouling of her food by rats and cockroaches was finally discovered. However I have a hard time believing her deep pockets would let the flagship restaurant close. Anyone know of a (predictable) loss of goodwill between her and Notte? And if so, does anyone have the gory details? (Please say yes and please have pictures!)

As a side note, if there are any entomologists out there interested in a rich and conveniently located field laboratory, I have the real estate agent's number.

Lessons from the Luisa Hanson School of Business

2008-02-16T17:55:00.001-08:00

So we've already seen Lesson One from the Luisa Hanson School of Business: When at first you don't succeed, steal. As in, steal a name from a competing, yet successful business—à la Hanson's soon-to-be Vinoteca vs. the successful Ottimista Enoteca on Union St.
Example 2: Her announced plans for the California/Larkin location for a restaurant called "Pompei." Turns out, there's already another restaurant with that name: a Pompei's Grotto at 340 Jefferson St. Interestingly this time she has chosen to steal the name of a restaurant which may actually be successful (it is in Fisherman's Wharf after all), but is definitely not well liked by the local restaurant-going public (the majority of the reviews on Yelp are average or below, and, well, it's in Fisherman's Wharf).
(One wonders if Gabriel Barras, owner of Pompei Enterprises Corp., which owns Pompei's Grotto, knows about this attempt to capitalize on his hard work and name.)

Lesson Two from the LHSB (motto: "We're not quite Wharton!") comes from a tidbit sent in by a commenter:
"The fine folks at Skipjack moved out their equipment months ago. Luisa hasn't closed escrow, which would be why there are no permits, and why this work is being illegally performed on a business she does not own."
I see she still does not have any construction, plumbing, or electrical permits, but she did receive one complaint: "Construction inside restaurant w/out a permit." However, this complaint was then, in this humble researcher's opinion, curiously abated for the following reason: "Installed some shelves behind counter - no permit required."
While I can understand that no additional electrical or plumbing permits may have been needed (it was a restaurant; it is still going to be a restaurant), the work I saw going on inside this space looked to be a lot more extensive than a few shelves going up behind a counter. (Any building types out there who care to disagree? Let me know!). Also, and more importantly, doesn't it matter that she doesn't own the place? Of course, this brings me to....

Lesson Three: City inspectors are your friends (some people's more than others)
I would hate to accuse anyone of showing undue favoritism, but it looks more and more like Luisa's got an angel in the building inspectors' office.
First, she receives a complaint at the 1500 California location in June 2007 for working without a permit. It's hard to tell if she was in any way punished, since a permit was then issued by a certain Inspector D. Duffy in August.
Complaints were made in January 2008 about work at the former John Barleycorn space (for the purpose of the permits, it is for some reason being called 1409 Larkin, even though that is one of the apartments in the building). The first, concerning work in a space with no permit, is cleared up with the issuance of a permit for "selective demo & flooring/sheetrock - refer to district inspector per Donal Duffy." Shortly afterwards, another complaint is made about the work going beyond the simple permit issued for that spot (to "Remove debris, clean up site, sheetrock & flooring only. No demolition work."). As pictures on both the Barleycorn Survivors site and Eater SF (and apparently the pictures accompanying the complaint sent to the inspectors' department) show, quite a bit of demolition was involved. At any rate, the case is then abated by an inspector because "All work is permitted."
The complaint received about work at Vinoteca without a permit is met with the abatement mentioned above—"no permit required" by Inspector D. Duffy.

Coincidentally, as Eater SF revealed, La Hanson's name for her bar at the former Barleycorn: Duffy's.
If I may, I'd like to suggest a motto: Where City Inspectors Go to Drink.

Union St. Activity

2008-01-30T22:51:00.000-08:00

My Union Street sources are reporting they are finally seeing activity at the former Skipjack Sushi and new LH endeavor at 1785 Union St. According to them, it looks like the space--dormant since last October--is getting a makeover. It looks like counters and perhaps cooking areas are getting torn out.
Interestingly, there is no construction permit posted in the window as required by law. And it also looks like La Hanson has not even applied for building, electrical or plumbing permits for the space. Shades of her Front Room debacle all over again.
As usual, dear readers, the place to call and complain is the Department of Building Inspection, Building Inspection Division, 415-558-6096, or online at dbi.bidcomplaints@sfgov.org.

Of course, if this is merely the work of the fine folks of Skipjack moving their items to their new location, just a bit of advice: get all your stuff out as quickly as possible, lest Hanson call the cops on you, too, for "stealing" "her" equipment.

I'm not crazy, I just have standards

2007-12-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

File under "Told you so":
the latest* on La Hanson via SF.Eater.com:
"BREAKING: Rodents, Health Dept. Shut Down Luisa's"
I encourage you to read the article, as well as the health report and score (online! isn't it great living in the future?), but the long and short of it is: all sorts of icky things were found at Luisa's upon a health inspection that apparently took place last Friday.
All you Luisa-lovers out there, don't say we didn't warn you! (And please, please, please don't say you still love the food, cause that's just nasty.)

*(well, not really, since apparently I've been on the moon lately as regards blogging or even human affairs; however, SF Eater, SF Curbed, and the lovely Barleycorn Survivors site have done a great job keeping up on things!)

We're not alone

2007-11-02T02:54:00.000-07:00

Noticed around the Googlosphere today a new link I hadn't seen before--one off of Digg (as well as SFEater and a comment on SFist) to a video on YouTube, "Stop Luisa Hanson."
Whoever you are, Notluisa, nice job! And judging from recent hostile comments on Yelp and SFist threads, it's nice to see the core Beware La Hanson message is still getting out there. If the Barleycorn/Front Room mess saves one innocent party from losing their money/business to this person, then maybe it won't have been in vain.

Breaking news

2007-10-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

Word on Larkin St. is that asbestos has been discovered around pipes in the old Barleycorn space.
Tempted to laugh at LH for all the expense she now has to lay out to fix this, but of course, my thoughts and worries go out to residents of the building and neighbors.
In hopes this will be taken care of speedily, here are a few city departments and links I hope are useful:

Department of Building Inspection
City Attorney Dennis Herrera (and their Code Violation Hotline is 415-554-3977)
Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section
Rent Board for landlord-tenant issues (they have information about how to proceed to get a landlord to make repairs, whom to call, and how to document it).

Be careful out there.

Legal History: a summary

2007-10-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

So a few different sources have reported that La Hanson has been involved in 50 lawsuits. To be excruciatingly precise, the Superior Court of San Francisco database shows 57 distinct lawsuits since 1987 (41 as a defendant!). Now, sadly, not all of these cases have documents viewable online, but a few very juicy ones are. Knowing many lawyers (hey, who doesn't these days?), I'm familiar with how acrimonious and downright crazy civil cases can get--but some of the things Defendant Hanson tries to get away with in some of these cases boggle the mind.

So, just in time for Halloween, I'd like to start my super scary series "Tales from the Courtroom."

To start the series, a few numbers for you stats nerds:
-17 cases since 1/1/2000
-38 during the '90s
-2 (that we know of) in the '80s

These cases include:
-1 Civil Rights case (based on the American with Disabilities Act; know how the door to Luisa's on Union St has the happy little wheelchair-accessible logo on it? Yeah, it ain't accessible.)
-4 Common Counts/Open Book/Collections cases
-15 Contract/Warranty cases (incl. 6 Breach of Contract cases)
-6 Labor Judgment cases (all of which she lost)
-1 Labor Commission Appeal
-1 Landlord/Tenant - Residential case
-3 Limited Civil Appeals
-8 "Money" cases that seem to have come out of small claims court (including one, which she lost of course, brought by a legal firm! What self-respecting crazy person doesn't know that if you only pay one person, make sure it's your lawyer.)
-3 Personal Injury/Property Damage - Vehicle cases
-1 case against a family member
-11 Unlawful Detainer cases (both commercial and residential--not exactly sure what this means, but I believe it might be nonpayment of rent, or a related matter)
-and a few others...

Whew, this took a lot out of me. We'll leave the truly scary stuff for tomorrow.
Until then, my pretties.

If at first you don't succeed... steal!

2007-10-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

Ms. Hanson's new venture on Union St. is called Vino Teca.
Ms. Hanson's old venture on Union St. is right across the street from a friendly, well planned, successful business called Ottimista Enoteca (a place that, quite seriously, I cannot say enough good things about!).

Is it a coincidence that Vino Teca will be within a block of Ottimista Enoteca--and that perhaps patrons will get confused over the names?

Oh no, that would be dishonest. La Hanson would never indulge in dishonest business practices.

Criminal rumors...

2007-10-28T03:23:00.000-07:00

One of my Union St. sources told me that Luisa Hanson was spotted by staff of a competing Italian restaurant on Union St. attempting to smash their flower pots with a hammer late at night.

Eavesdropping tonight, I heard that one of Zeki's (California & Leavenworth) bartenders is claiming they saw Ms. Hanson trying to steal their flower pots/boxes.

A lesson to us all: hide your fucking flower pots lest La Hanson take a dislike!

(P.S. How is this woman not in jail yet?)

One of those days

2007-10-26T03:29:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day, and one we all kept hoping wouldn't actually come: tonight is the John Barleycorn's last night of operation. After this, the neighborhood joint will go dark--and, well, probably the neighborhood, too. Luisa has finally gotten what she wanted, although seeing as the old Front Room restaurant space has been empty since May (?) and she hasn't done a thing to it, it's not clear what she actually does want.
And now we've gotten word she's opening another place on Union, which presumably will give her fewer headaches than she's had with the Barleycornians... Does that mean nothing will happen in the California/Larkin spaces? And what would be worse: her trying to open a place as if nothing had ever been there, or keeping it empty as retaliation against the neighborhood? I don't think the latter option is outside the realm of possibility. In fact I say there's only a 10% chance anything ever opens up at that space while she owns the building.

RIP John Barleycorn. We loved ya and we'll miss ya.

What happens to a building when Luisa Hanson takes over?

2007-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently, this happens:

W00t! We hit the big time! Sadly, that doesn't change a thing.

2007-10-17T01:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, so our little bloggie here was mentioned in the SF Bay Guardian this week, in the story about the Barleycorn's closure.
I knew this was coming up in Google searches when you put a certain someone's name in quotes, but I did not realize anyone was searching for her and actually checking out the blog.
Okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself--they're noticing the blog and ascertaining or maybe just guessing this is about the lady in question, not necessarily reading it.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to the fine people over at sf.eater.com, who also mentioned the site while letting us in on a very juicy detail, indeed: Luisa Hanson, who has a big empty space just waiting for a little love and attention at 1500 California Street, is planning to open up a wine bar on Union, in the Skipjack Sushi place, which, apparently is moving.
No DBA on the SFGov.org site, but the liquor license from Skipjack was pending transferral as of October 10.

List of Restaurants

2007-09-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

There are a few people out there (the very few who have not had run-ins with this person) who can't understand exactly why anyone would try to stand in the way of this "poor woman" trying to open another restaurant.
So here's a list of all the restaurants she's had in this city or tried to open (as far as I can tell...).

1. Luisa's (Union St.). Still in operation. Hard to tell how long this one has been around. Online city records indicate since 1979, but anecdotal evidence suggests she's been there longer (of course anecdotal evidence has in turn suggested she's Italian, Greek, Libyan and 90 years old, so who the hell knows).

2. Luisa’s Quality Foods to Go
No address
Registered 1987; no other dates of operation available

3. Pastella
no address listed; DBA filed 1987

4. Bella Pasta & Pizzeria
598 Haight St.
Registered 3/1991; 3 ABC license applications, all withdrawn.
Never opened

5. Luisa’s Café Continental
544 Castro St.
DBA filed 3/1991. Moved to Daly City in 1993.

6. Mangiafuoco (also registered as Mangi Afuoco)
1001 Guerrero St.
Registered: 10/1992
ABC license: 3/1993-2/2003

7. Pastaio
3160-62 16^th St.
Operation: 2/1994-5/1995

8. Antipasti
1838 Union St.
Open: 1994-1998, 1999-2000

9. Mezza Luna
2299 Van Ness Ave.
Operation: 12/1995-3/1996

10. Bella Luna of San Francisco
2299 Van Ness Ave.
Operation: 3/1996-7/1997, two ABC license applications withdrawn in early 1995

11. Agliotolio
2299 Van Ness Ave.
DBA registered same time as Bella Luna & Mezza Luna (11/1995), but no ABC license in this name.

12. All That Crepes of San Francisco
3242 Scott St.
Filed 2/1996, ABC license canceled 1999.

13. Aglio & Pomedero (sic)
1667 Vallejo St.
Registered 2/1996. No ABC license. Not clear this ever opened.

14. Luisa’s Incontro
4230 18^th St.
Operation: 4/1999-1/2002

15. Andiamo Pasta (registered in ABC database as All That Pasta--interesting you can have two completely different names for a business and a liquor license...)
3242 Scott St.
Operation: 2/1999-9/2005 (ABC license revoked for nonpayment)

16. Sfizi
3385 22^nd St.
Never opened. ABC license obtained 3/2001. Put on Hold in 9/2000: “Under Construction”

17. Aglio
1009 Guerrero
Never opened. ABC license obtained 12/2000. Put on Hold 7/2000: “Under Construction”

18. Luisa’s Pizzeria
4238 18^th St.
4/2001-7/2002

19. Trattoria Luisa
1007 Guerrero St.
8/2002-3/2004

20. Delaney’s
2241 Chestnut St.
ABC license transferred to her name 8/2002. Two liquor license infractions occurred shortly after she took over.

21. Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant
1007 Guerrero
DBA filed 7/3/2003

22. Il Granaio
1003 Guerrero
ABC license denied 10/03

23. Da Luisa
1001 Guerrero St.
Registered: 7/2003
ABC license canceled: 2005
Operation: 12/2003-4/2005

24. Mamma Mia Pizzeria
1009 Guerrero
8/2004-7/2005

25. ???
1500 California St.

Fun with Yelp.

2007-06-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

So there are some good reviews of Luisa's on Union St. on Yelp suggesting I and those of my ilk are perhaps being unfair. Let's take a look:

[All spelling/grammar errors are the fault of their respective authors.]
Dan H. says: "If, howerver, you have horrible memories of your mom and other authority figures locking you in a basement for hours without food, Louisa's scolding may send you into a tailspin requiring thousands of dollars in therapy to reverse."
Is this a new trend, or should I just be happy restaurateurs haven't started slapping their patrons yet?

Dave L. says: "the atmosphere is what I imagine it was like dinning out in the 1930's in Italy...."
When Mussolini was in power? Ah, but the trains ran on time, I hear.

Jeff S. says: "I think Luisa is a little crazy and she may be in love with me .... [S]he kept coming back to our table and putting her hands all over me leaning over and whispering things in my ear. I'm not quite sure what she was saying most of the time because it was so loud...although one time she said something about how to get a woman to give me her "cookie" (her word, not mine)."
Ewwww.

Erase this from your mind. If you can.

2007-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

As I sit here tonight, ready to depart for warmer climes tomorrow and worrying about voluntarily heading to settings where one has to worry about "swimsuit season," I thought I would share a couple related stories with you.
While I was not present at either event, I hope someone out there was, and can correct and embellish as he/she sees fit.
1) The staff of the high-end restaurant that occupies the first floor of Ms. Hanson's apartment building recently had the unwelcome task of trying to convince our heroine--dressed in nothing but her swimsuit--that she wasn't dressed properly or, well, enough to dine there.
Fireworks ensued, and the staff finally relented.
I wonder if anyone over at the Save the Barleycorn group has thought about sending bathing-suit-clad groups to Luisa's on Union on a Friday night... Not that I would ever suggest such a disrespectful thing, of course, and not that I would suggest that anyone who does that take a camera along....

2) When meeting with a certain small paper over a full-page ad buy (before promptly stiffing them), Ms. Hanson apparently met with the sales rep at one of her restaurants, wearing a bra but no shirt.
Enjoy that image. Savor it in your mind.
(Artist renderings are welcome.)

Luisa Hanson: An Introduction

2007-06-14T21:59:00.001-07:00

I recently became aware of Luisa Hanson after a certain real estate transaction, the result of which was her evicting two of my favorite businesses in this city. In griping about this to everyone I know--as well as a lot of people I don't know--stories started emerging about this "restaurateur." These anecdotes run the gamut of subjects: on her origins, her business partners, her run-ins with the law, even speculation on her age (a richer topic than one might suspect).
Seemingly everyone in the restaurant and bar industries in San Francisco has a story--but no one seems aware of anyone else's stories. Hence this blog--a way to fill this gaping hole in Luisa Hanson lore.
So send us your stories, your pictures, your life lessons from the Luisa Hanson School of Business, and your sightings (Oh! Please send us your sightings!).
Love,
ML