The sidewalks in downtown San Francisco became busier this week as Salesforce employees returned to the office full-time.
For Zachary Taylor, who manages 83 Proof — a bar across the street from the Salesforce Tower — a packed happy hour crowd on Wednesday was a sight to behold.
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“I’m seeing faces that I haven’t seen in a while coming back now and, you know, names on credit card bills that I haven’t seen in a while, so that’s always a good sign,” Taylor said.
Like many businesses in the region, 83 Proof has been deeply affected by the large number of employees who are still working from home rather than returning to the office since the pandemic.
This week brought a big change, with Salesforce now requiring most employees to come back to the building. That sounds like music to Taylor’s ears.
“As Salesforce returns, Linked-In returns, and a number of law firms. Other companies and AI companies are starting to take over some of the office space. We’ll just start to see more normalcy towards pre-pandemic levels,” Taylor said.
A block down the street, the people who worked at International Smoke couldn’t agree more. They said that in the two days since Salesforce employees had to return, they have noticed a big difference.
“I’ve seen a lot more traffic outside, which is nice. I think people are still on their way back to the office, so we haven’t really seen them come into the office yet. It’s only been two days. but you know, there are signs outside. We stopped by yesterday and said, ‘Hey, we’re here! Come back to us!'” said Jose Gorospe, general manager of International Smoke.
Gorospe says he expects more people to come once people get used to their office routines again.
At 83 Proof, Zachary expects a similar increase in customers. He says crowds are still slightly below pre-pandemic levels, but just having people back at work in the area will make a big difference.
“I’m hoping to see a 10 to 15 percent increase as more and more people get used to returning to the office more and more,” Taylor said.
Bar customer Klara Viktorynova told CBS News Bay Area that she also works at a nearby restaurant. She was celebrating her birthday at the age of 83 and said she was happy to see the room full of people having a good time.
“I’m excited to see a lot of professionals having a good time. There are so many places in San Francisco that have started happy hours that weren’t doing happy hours before, just to get a little more crowd in. And it’s a beautiful place to be,” said Viktorynova.
