Tommy’s Joynt buyer has no appetite for change

From left, Juan Alvarado and Juan Rubalcaba serve customers lunch, including Carlos Corea, right, at Tommy's Joynt June 9, 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. From left, Juan Alvarado and Juan Rubalcaba serve customers lunch, including Carlos Corea, right, at Tommy's Joynt June 9, 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Tommy’s Joynt buyer has no appetite for change 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

When two elderly women having lunch on Tuesday at Tommy’s Joynt were told that the Van Ness Avenue icon had been sold, their first reaction was a question that will be echoed by countless San Franciscans:

What will change?

The answer — according to both the new owner and the outgoing family that has owned the beloved hofbrau since 1947 — is: very little.

Tommy’s Joynt has been sold to Chris Henry, a San Francisco native who also owns Barrel House in Sausalito. He promises that he will change nothing about the popular restaurant, known for its sliced-to-order pastrami sandwiches and buffalo stew. He’s due to take ownership at the end of July.

“It’s been a family business for all these years, but we have decided to sell the restaurant,” said Susie Katzman, who has been running the restaurant with her sons, Sam and Zack, since 2000. Her uncle, Tommy Harris, founded the place, partnering with Katzman’s father, Billy Veprin, a few years later. When Harris sold his share, a childhood friend named Al Pollack came into the fold and operated it with Veprin.

“Sixty-eight years. That’s a long time. And it’s not an easy decision,” she said.

Non-negotiable

Citing the all-consuming stress of owning a restaurant, Katzman is ready to retire, and her sons, both in their 30s, want to pursue other interests. She got the blessing from her mother and her cousins, and went forward with the plan to sell.

However, when they quietly put Tommy’s Joynt and its building on the market a year ago, the Katzmans had non-negotiable conditions for any potential suitors.

“From the very beginning — and there was no disagreement in the family — it had to remain Tommy’s Joynt,” said Sam Katzman. “The new owners had to keep it Tommy’s Joynt, had to keep the staff, and had to keep it a Local 2 house.”

The third condition — centered around the union — was the trickiest part of getting a deal done. But it was essential to the Katzmans, who point out that many of the 30 employees have been there for decades.

Take Jose Orosco, the bartender who has put in 42 years behind the stick, and Carlos Gallegos, who came to San Francisco from his native Nicaragua in 1982. He has had just one job since he arrived — at Tommy’s Joynt.

Keeping the spirit

“It’s been amazing, a very good experience,” Gallegos said, adding that he hopes the new owner will stay true to the spirit of Tommy’s Joynt: affordable food, quick service, many beers and friendly people.

The Katzmans turned down offers from big restaurant groups because those didn’t feel right.

“Honestly, put it this way: It wasn’t just about the money. I wanted to keep the Joynt,” said Susie Katzman.

They found their man in Chris Henry, a local guy who convinced the family he understood the Joynt’s soul and what it means to the city.

“My father used to take me to Tommy’s as a kid, every Friday or Saturday afternoon,” Henry said. “I remember the brisket, and getting a great meal and great experience. It stuck with me over the years, and now that the opportunity came along, I’m so grateful to carry the torch.

“I don’t plan on changing anything,” he said, adding that he will make no tweaks whatsoever to the look or feel of the place, though he might introduce some “crafted cocktails.”

One look at the lunchtime line snaking toward the door is proof that the hofbrau remains a gathering place for all walks of San Francisco life: old, young, hipsters, bankers, families, loners.

Savoring history

“Particularly today, with how much the city is changing, people are really grasping for these threads that go back generations in the city,” said Sam Katzman. “Every tier of San Francisco comes and eats here.”

The preservation of Tommy’s Joynt comes at a time when many of San Francisco’s unique businesses are slipping into the past. The year has already seen the closures of Capp’s Corner, Empress of China, Orbit Room and the Lexington Club.

Tommy’s Joynt will not be added to the list anytime soon.

“It’s a piece of San Francisco history,” said Susie Katzman. “It is a landmark in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Tommy’s Joynt.”

Paolo Lucchesi is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: plucchesi@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @lucchesi