Despite multiple attempts to keep doors open, a popular Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco has closed after almost 16 years of business, breaking the hearts of fine-dining foodies throughout the city.
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Daniel Patterson, chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco's Financial District, announced the restaurant's permanent closure in an Instagram post Friday.
"Next month Coi will turn 16. Sadly it won't be sweet, and we won't be open to celebrate," Patterson wrote.
He attributed the closure to the pressures and strains of the pandemic and to struggles with investors, who took over operations at the restaurant in 2019.
"I tried everything," he said. "It breaks my heart to lose a restaurant I put so much love and so much of my life into."
Patterson said the investors made the decision to close Coi, despite his pleas to revamp the space. "When the Michelin Guide included Coi in the most recent guide I thought that might change their minds. I proposed a remodel and to reopen with a fresh vibe, but they still said no," he wrote.
At its prime, Coi was a unique restaurant to San Francisco, providing customers with a long tasting menu of locally grown French-California cuisine. "A mix of modern and ancient techniques, creative and ambitious cooking in a warm, inviting setting," Patterson reminisced.
Despite the heartbreak, the modernist chef said he was grateful for his time in the Bay and thanked all who helped with Coi over the years. "Everyone thought we would fail, but we didn't. Instead we paved the way for many others who took inspiration from our kitchen to create their own."
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