“Maybe we should have made it clearer that our use of ‘local’ isn’t about being local,” is a thing owner Yaron Migrom said about his restaurant Local’s Corner to San Francisco magazine. "Local" pertains to sourcing, Migrom clarified.

Anyway, the confusion will soon be over, as Mission Mission and Inside Scoop have it that Migrom has announced the closure of his restaurant at 23rd and Bryant by the end of the month.

Migrom's group of business, Local Mission Eatery, Local Mission Market, Local Cellar, and the 2012-opened Local's Corner have seen graffiti reading: “Die,” “Get Lost,” and “Keep the Mission Brown.” In fact, Local's Corner in particular was defaced again and again. An incident wherein a Latina diner was told her party of 6 couldn't be accommodated fueled tensions when she spoke out against the restaurant. Later, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) mounted a protest and boycott of Migrom's businesses with posters distributed around the neighborhood.

Though Local's Corner pleased the palate of Michael Bauer to the tune of three stars, recently chef de cuisine Timothy Malloy moved to Seattle, and since last April business has been down 20 percent. Whether the less-than-busy atmosphere is related to incidents of local ire is unclear  though as Eater suggests, 26 seats shouldn't be that hard to fill.

Here's the statement:

Before ACCE and vandalism, we were not in good shape. Certainly, neither helped. Though its impact was less financial than emotional. More than the sting, it was the cumulative wear. We considered a pivot and shift, to reopen with a different restaurant. Though recently, as we weighed next steps, we bore significant departures of kitchen management... The operational challenge of hiring, emotional loss of losing key staff, and cumulative financial losses made an easy conclusion of a hard decision. Thankfully, with Local Mission Eatery, Local Mission Market, and Local Cellar in their best shape, most of the Local’s Corner staff will stay within the Local family. We are heartened to continue our relationships with the fish purveyors, farmers, winemakers, and brewers at our other businesses. Our unique partnership with Kenny of Two X Sea and Joe of Water 2 Table will find a deeper way into the Eatery and Market. We hope to find a passionate operator to inherit the space and share delicious food with the neighborhood (and Yaron, who lives across the street). The space will be available for private events and pop-ups. Over these next three weeks, please join us at Local’s Corner. We hope all who loved their meals will return for their last taste and all of those who have waited will get their first taste.



The space is now on the market, but don't expect a Jack Spade to pop up because the city is set to close the chain store loophole for good.

Previously: Local's Corner Vandalized (And Scrubbed) Again