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The
New York Times posted an article this morning on the effect
Ike's Place and
Bi-Rite Creamery are having on their neighborhoods ― more specifically, how much the neighborhood grouses about the crowds the two small stores draw. To appease nearby homeowners and renters, the Castro sandwich shop now closes at 7 p.m. while the Mission ice cream store is currently expanding to create some sit-down space for customers.
The Ike's line
is a phenomenon. And as yesterday reaffirmed, we're
not in love with lines. But we find the article's conclusion that Yelp has created the maelstorm of attention a little suspect. After all, San Francisco restaurants like Boogaloo's, the Pork Store, Tartine, and Ton Kiang ― hunh, brunch seems particularly line-worthy ― have been famous for the crowd clouds outside since the dinosaur age, or at least the days when word of mouth was analog.
It's the perennial dilemma: Humans hate waiting for food. Yet humans
love getting in on something everyone else wants. Admit it: The one
thing that makes your time in line at Ike's Place go faster is the thought of all the
people who are going to be looking enviously at you as you parade past
them with your sandwich, mayonnaise smeared across your cheek, pork
dripping onto the sidewalk, maliciously reveling in how good it tastes.
Maybe
the solution for these two beleagured places is to
offer a special pass to people who live on the block, like the frequent flyer lines at airport security checkpoints. Neighbors could show a badge or ID with address to the cashier, get whisked in and out, and then smirk as the folks around them grumble. Schadenfreude, like fences, makes good
neighbors.
