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Food

The pandemic almost ended this SF restaurant. The protests might save it.

Amy Graff

Selamawet "Nani" Tsegaye and Elias Shawel didn't know if Tadu Kitchen in the Tenderloin and House of Tadu in Mission Bay would survive the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the couple is feeling the impact of the movement to support black-owned businesses, as suddenly people are lined up out the door to sample their fragrant vegetarian and meat stews, served with the spongy injera bread of their home country.

Tsegaye (pictured right) said business is up 200% at their two small Ethiopian restaurants and their 10 employees whose hours were reduced to part-time after the shelter-in-place order was issued in mid-March are now all working full-time.
Patricia Chang/Special to the SFGATE

Tsegaye (pictured right) said business is up 200% at their two small Ethiopian restaurants and their 10 employees whose hours were reduced to part-time after the shelter-in-place order was issued in mid-March are now all working full-time.

"I think it’s a good sign," she said. "I think it’s a fortunate opportunity for us to put ourselves out there to people who want to try a new food like Ethiopian. We feel very grateful for the community. This is amazing."

“We’ve been in business for five years and we’ve never seen this crowd,” said Shawel (pictured left).

Since mid-March, Tsegaye (pictured above) has worked at Tadu Kitchen every day, not taking an hourly wage so she and her husband can afford to pay their employees. In March and April, business was quiet and then last week, Tsegaye said on most evenings since Sunday a line of up to 30 people at a time have been waiting outside the restaurants, wearing masks and social distancing, for takeout. Rather than paying for their food through third-party apps such as Grubhub that take a cut of restaurant profits, these new customers are ordering directly through Tadu's online site.
Patricia Chang/Special to the SFGATE

Since mid-March, Tsegaye (pictured above) has worked at Tadu Kitchen every day, not taking an hourly wage so she and her husband can afford to pay their employees.

In March and April, business was quiet and then last week, Tsegaye said on most evenings since Sunday a line of up to 30 people at a time have been waiting outside the restaurants, wearing masks and social distancing, for takeout.

Rather than paying for their food through third-party apps such as Grubhub that take a cut of restaurant profits, these new customers are ordering directly through Tadu's online site.

"They're leaving $20 tips for our employees," said Tsegaye.

The tragic killing of George Floyd by a police officer has inspired many to stand in solidarity with America's black community, and people have found supporting black businesses to be an actionable way to make a small difference amid a massive cause. Lists of black-owned restaurants have been circulating in social media and one for the Bay Area created by the San Francisco Chronicle Food Editor Soleil Ho has gone viral. Tadu is one of the restaurants on this list. Among the dozens, the list spans different cuisines and genres, from Frisco Fried in S.F., Back A Yard Caribbean Grill in San Jose and Palo Alto, to Miss Ollie's in Oakland and Crumble & Whisk Patisserie in Emeryville.
Patricia Chang/Special to the SFGATE

The tragic killing of George Floyd by a police officer has inspired many to stand in solidarity with America's black community, and people have found supporting black businesses to be an actionable way to make a small difference amid a massive cause.

Lists of black-owned restaurants have been circulating in social media and one for the Bay Area created by the San Francisco Chronicle Food Editor Soleil Ho has gone viral.

Tadu is one of the restaurants on this list. Among the dozens, the list spans different cuisines and genres, from Frisco Fried in S.F., Back A Yard Caribbean Grill in San Jose and Palo Alto, to Miss Ollie's in Oakland and Crumble & Whisk Patisserie in Emeryville.

Customer Nicholas Gentry said he spotted one of the lists in social media and it led him to Tadu's Mission Bay location (pictured) last week.
Patricia Chang/Special to the SFGATE

Customer Nicholas Gentry said he spotted one of the lists in social media and it led him to Tadu's Mission Bay location (pictured) last week.

"This is the one on the list I can walk to from work," said Gentry, who is a graduate student at UC San Francisco. "I specifically came here because I thought it would be good to support black businesses."

Tsegaye moved to the United States from Ethiopia with her family as a teenager and Shawel immigrated here in 2007. They met through a friend in San Jose and now have two children, ages 5 and 8, and live in San Bruno. The idea to open a restaurant came from Shawel, who worked as a cab driver when he first moved to San Francisco. Customers often asked him where he was from and when he answered
Patricia Chang/Special to the SFGATE

Tsegaye moved to the United States from Ethiopia with her family as a teenager and Shawel immigrated here in 2007.

They met through a friend in San Jose and now have two children, ages 5 and 8, and live in San Bruno.

The idea to open a restaurant came from Shawel, who worked as a cab driver when he first moved to San Francisco.

Customers often asked him where he was from and when he answered "Addis Ababa," they would always want to know where to find the best Ethiopian food in the city.

He never knew where to send them as he had been unimpressed with the food he'd tried here — and so he decided to open a restaurant.

"His family had a shoe company in Ethiopia," Tsegaye said of her husband. "He grew up in a family with a small business and wanted to have a business here."