I hope the habit of eating and drinking outdoors sticks around if we ever get to the other side of this pandemic, as I’ve loved all the cool parklets, decks, terraces and patios that sprang up to meet COVID requirements. I also hope restaurants find a way to address staff shortages — but I fear that’s a pipe dream given the exorbitant cost of living in the Bay Area. — Cityside editorial director Tracey Taylor
I hope they can gradually get back to full service in many cases (although it’s great to have so many takeout and delivery options). I hope to see a continued effort to source locally and seasonally. I hope that customers will get through this next season and begin to once again enjoy the pleasure of dining with friends. — Nosh contributor Risa Nye
That they are given a much needed break. What these business owners have gone through to either successfully open or stay open — it’s exhausting, mentally, physically, financially. But you see a great new place like Calabash and think, wow — it’s all worth it. — Nosh openings and closings columnist Joanna Della Penna
Well, in this tripledemic winter, first and foremost I hope restaurant workers stay healthy. And with so many of my friends in tech getting laid off and worrying about the recession, I hope and trust that diners will still put down good money for good food. In my experience, people are always going to want to eat in the Bay. We might be looking for more affordable options next year, but we’re still going to be eating and reading and arguing about what we’re eating. — Nosh contributor Becky Duffett
My greatest hope — though I know its a pipe dream — is that diners finally acknowledge the costs of running a restaurant, and the moral/ethical/environmental costs of too-good-to-be-true prices. Comments and emails I see that sneeringly compare the cost of a thoughtfully prepared meal from an independent restaurant that uses quality ingredients and pays its staff fairly to the price of food at the Costco cafe or McDonald’s tell me a lot about a person. It suggests that they don’t care about how farmworkers are treated (the cheaper the produce, the less money that makes its way back to folks toiling in fields) or the wages restaurant workers need to remain afloat in the area, or that despite all the information at these pundits’ fingertips, they remain willfully ignorant. I’ve lost patience with both groups. If you don’t want to pay (which is very different than “can’t pay”) a fair price that allows an operation to sustain itself, that’s between you and your conscience, but emailing me, commenting on our articles, or — worst of all — hassling restaurant staffers or owners as though your miserliness indicates some sort of moral higher ground is the height of aggressive empty-headedness. — Nosh editor Eve Batey