San Francisco approved its first nine legacy businesses this week, following through on measures passed by voters in November aimed at helping vulnerable longtime firms survive.

The nine businesses are: Two Jack’s Nik’s Place Seafood, Toy Boat Dessert Cafe, Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Café, Precita Eyes Muralists Association, Pacific Cafe, Lone Star Saloon, Gilmans Kitchens and Baths, Community Boards, and Macchiarini Creative Design & Metalworks.

Those businesses are now eligible to receive city grants of $500 per full-time employee per year, and landlords who extend leases to the businesses for at least 10 years will receive $4.50 per square foot of space leased per year. The landlord grant is capped at $22,500 annually, and the legacy business grant is capped at $50,000 a year.

In order to qualify, a business must have been in existence more than 30 years and have contributed to a neighborhood’s history.

Dozens of businesses have applied, but until this week none had been approved.

Indeed, six months after Proposition J passed in November, the city had dedicated no staff or money to getting the program up and running. The Office of Small Business is charged with administering the program.

In May, as complaints built up about the lack of progress, including from Supervisor David Campos, who authored the measure, Mayor Ed Lee dedicated $2.5 million to get the process moving.

“We are thrilled to inaugurate our new Legacy Business Registry with the first group of inductees,” said Mark Dwight, president of the Small Business Commission, whose approval is the final step for inclusion in the Legacy Business Registry.

“We look forward to expanding the registry and using it to help promote these special businesses that have withstood the test of time and continue to contribute to San Francisco's unique character.”

The Small Business Commission will consider a second set of 10 businesses at its next meeting on Aug. 22.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen