San Francisco’s The Detour, an arcade bar formerly known as Brewcade that we profiled the March issue of RePlay, has decided to temporarily shut down during the winter months due to Covid-19.
The Detour in July 2019 following its post-renovation reopening and rebranding from Brewcade.
“We made the tough decision to shift The Detour into hibernation mode for the next few months until a vaccine is released,” said co-owner Shawn Vergara, who told Hoodline an exact reopening date is unclear since it’s dependent on when and if a vaccine is released – and how much the city’s dining and drinking scene recovers as a result.
“We have a financial plan to try to get as far as September 2021,” he said. “This plan leaves us a lot more hopeful than staying the course.” He added that staying open now would result in shutting down permanently and “that’s not what we wanted to do.”
Vergara owns the arcade bar with his sister Tiffny Vergara Chung. The pair also owns a nearby cocktail bar, Blackbird, that remains open for outdoor service and to-go cocktails. The Detour had been reopened since July with outdoor seating and takeout, and the city allowed indoor dining at limited capacity a few weeks ago. However, it didn’t prove to be enough to justify keeping the doors open.
“People just don’t feel comfortable coming out,” he continued. “This is the most logical plan for The Detour’s survival through the pandemic and winter season. It’s been a challenging time, to say the least.”
