Sixth & University, a prime corner for Hillcrest restaurants since 1926, will be getting a name change again soon.
Harvey Milk’s American Diner initially closed the first week of October for a three-day “reorganization,” but it’s been reported through local news outlets that the 14-month-old business bounced checks to employees and will not reopen.
Harvey Milk’s partners “Big Mike” Phillips, Tom Brown and Frank Lechner took over the restaurant from City Deli in August of 2013. It was a hot spot for political gatherings (note photo below of Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer and candidate Carl DeMaio as waiters), but the diner received mixed reviews on poor service and food. In October 2014 the trio abruptly closed their doors and checking account. Bouncing paychecks to employees made the ne
ws. A few days after the business closed, Frank Lechner ran for, and was elected to the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA) board of directors. The shuttering of the diner’s doors came less than two months after the diner received a Nicky Award for “Best New Business.”
HBA director Benjamin Nicholls (who also received a 2014 Nicky Award) thinks a different name and more condos would have saved the business. Nicholls attributes Milk’s closing in part to a “structural” problem of insufficient new construction in Hillcrest.
One longtime Hillcrest resident disagrees. “Apparently, Nicholls’ solution is to bring in new customers by way of plopping down more condo complexes, never mind what the residents want, and never mind that the people running this joint had very little previous restaurant experience. Perhaps instead the Business Association should focus their members on best business practices like paying employees and delivering a quality product. Perhaps the HBA could also try to attract an appropriate, less restaurant-intensive, business mix to the community, and stop antagonizing their existing customer base.” (ouch)
Here’s another comment: “Has Mr. Nicholls ever owned or even worked in a restaurant? There are many factors why places close and why new places only last a few weeks to a few months. With 160 eateries, Hillcrest has become a food court with still limited parking. New construction is not needed, It’s still parking.”
Don Zimmerschied wants the 
great produce facade back. While there were several reasons why Harvey Milk’s did not make it (“Harvey Milk’s American Diner closes,” Oct. 17) besides inconsistent food and service, Don Zimmerschield added another in a letter to the U-T — “Painting out the iconic fruit frieze outraged many locals. Turning the colorful fruit into unappetizing lumps of charcoal set the tone for a uninspired interior redo.” (Some others suggested Harvey would have favored the brightly colored fruit & vegetable topper instead of repainting it battleship gray.)
Nine decades of restaurants. The Pastori family operated Caesar’s from 1926 until 1972. Next up on the menu was Cavalieri’s, which was followed by the Summer Place before City Delicatessen opened its doors in the summer of 1984 for a 29-year run. Harvey Milk‘s survived 14 months on the iconic corner before throwing in the towel to give someone else the opportunity.
What’s next? Multiple rumors suggest Phil’s BBQ (since he was a silent partner at Harvey Milk’s).
— On October 30, 2014 LGBT Weekly was contacted by the Milk Foundation’s attorney who assured them that despite what Nicole Murray Ramirez stated in his interview with LGBT Weekly, the Foundation’s attorney did not recommend withdrawing the Harvey Milk license.
