Venerable Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in SF Chinatown weathering city's issues
SAN FRANCISCO -- Recent headlines about the safety of San Francisco have landed business owners in the position of having to defend the city where they earn their living. One business is a San Francisco staple.
The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory has been in business for more than six decades and usually has a line of tourists out the door. One reason they come is to meet Kevin Chan, affectionately known as "Kevin Chan, the Cookie Man."
In the face of headlines, Chan says business owners feel the ripple effects.
"I grew up on this street," Chan said while taking us inside the cookie factory that makes tens of thousands of fortune cookies a week.
"I still believe in San Francisco, because I grew up here," he said.
Chan knows the headlines outside his doors down Ross Alley between Jackson and Washington Streets aren't great. He's felt the decline in tourism, and perceptions about the safety of his city keep him up at night.
"I always think about it at night when I work alone until three in the morning," Chan said. "I have a lot of free time to think of what should I do and how to make it better."
Chan says while business owners are affected by the headlines, he's decided to stay.
"It's what I love to do," he said. "And San Francisco is a great place. We all just need to make it better."