This is the first episode of a three-part series I reported and hosted with Civic, the flagship podcast of the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit publication that focuses on accountability journalism and where policy meets people. This episode originally aired on March 29, 2021, on 102.5 FM in San Francisco, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

As some restaurants have shut down for good, others have been through a roller coaster of managing expenses and staffing with little revenue. Food support programs have cropped up to try to help both restaurant workers and those facing food insecurity. One such program, the SF New Deal, was founded last March with a million-dollar investment from the founder of Twitch. In this first episode of a three-part series by Sonia Paul, hear from two restaurant owners about their experience with the pandemic and the SF New Deal, and where they think their businesses — and the restaurant industry — are heading now.

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