A San Francisco restaurant that started as a pop-up is looking for a new home after the owner said he recently learned the rent for his space would triple to about $25,000.
Al Pastor Papi owner and chef Miguel Escobedo opened the pop-up in July 2025 with the help of the Vacant to Vibrant program, which helped him find a restaurant-ready location.
“They were hoping to find a strong local brand that could probably make some noise here,” Escobedo said. “We were connected and Al Pastor Papi pop-up was born.”
Escobedo said it has been a fun adventure. The agreement was to do a pop-up for a year and a half through the end of 2026. Then the hope was to work out a deal to stay on a more long-term basis.
“The typical agreement with Vacant to Vibrant is 10% of what you sell, which is amazing, unheard of,” Escobedo said.
Escobedo said they worked out a deal with the landlord and the future looked bright. But now there are new owners and the asking price of rent changed dramatically.
“Pretty much tripled with what the new landlord was wanting from us and in fact offered us, but I couldn’t accept it,” Escobedo said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the management company but didn’t immediately hear back.
Escobedo said the Vacant to Vibrant program has been very supportive all along.
In a statement, the executive director of SF New Deal, which runs the program, said their team works closely with every program participant to help them navigate both their pop-up term and what comes next, saying, “Miguel and the team at Al Pastor Papi have brought an inspiring concept downtown through their pop-up and we have been actively working with them to explore opportunities and determine the best path forward beyond their current term.”
In the meantime, Escobedo plans to keep serving his customers while he figures out what the next chapter looks like.
“Just try to find another home for Al Pastor Papi,” he said. “I want this for my family and I want this for my community.”
