San Francisco’s oldest black-owned bar will close

The outside of Sam Jordan's bar, which is closing Nov. 2. The outside of Sam Jordan's bar, which is closing Nov. 2. Photo: Jessie C. / Yelp Photo: Jessie C. / Yelp Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close San Francisco’s oldest black-owned bar will close 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

They tried everything they could.

Remodels, live music, landmark status, and even going on TV couldn’t save a San Francisco institution from closing up shop. After 60 years in business, the Bayview’s Sam Jordan’s Bar & Grill will close on Nov. 2, as first reported by Hoodline.

Established in 1959, Sam Jordan’s is the oldest African-American-owned bar in San Francisco. It received landmark status from the city in 2013 and even sits on a block of Galvez Street that was renamed Sam Jordan’s Way. But financial hardships were too much to keep the business running, even with an outpouring of support from the Bayview community.

In May, the Jordans listed the bar's building for sale, but decided to stay open after public outcry.

“I felt like I had taken the bar as far as I could,” Ruth Jordan told SFGate at the time. “I did the best I could with it, but it had just had become an uphill battle for me.”

And that wasn’t the first time the bar got a second chance. In 2016, the Jordan family revealed they were more than $500,000 in debt on an episode of Spike TV's bar makeover show "Bar Rescue," in which the space was given a major remodel.

This news comes at a time when many other black-owned businesses are shuttering — Farmer Brown, Kaya and 1300 on Fillmore all closed within the past two years. Farmer Brown owner Jay Foster wrote about those struggles recently in an op-ed, citing the decreasing black population in the city.

Sam Jordan's is hosting a "last call" block party on Nov. 2 from noon to 5 p.m.

“I love the Bayview and I have taken this business as far as it can go," Ruth Jordan told Hoodline. “I am tired, but I want to make sure we go out with a big bang. I hope everyone joins us."

SFGATE reached out to the Sam Jordan’s and will update the story if we hear back.

Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com.