How did I carry out three projects in San Francisco out of many that I will describe in the future?
*The oldest, most successful high end vegetarian restaurant in America.
*The beautiful East Bay Bridge.
* A gorgeous small park.
The oldest, most successful high end vegetarian restaurant in America is Greens in Fort Mason; already 47 years old and thriving. Always listed in San Francisco’s top ten restaurants.
That is what I was going to write about and will do so later. In searching the web I find no real history of the modern Ft. Mason. An important history that is unknown. All I could find was this:
Fort Mason Center, a nonprofit organization, partnered with
the GGNRA and opened in 1977. It was the first conversion
of a military base to peacetime use and as such, has served
as a national model. Each year more than 1.5 millions visitors
connect with arts and culture on the historic waterfront campus.
Through special events and resident organizations, Fort Mason
Center offers musical and theatrical performances, exhibits,
workshops, and classes that inspire and foster creativity for
visitors of all ages. Within the historic warehouses are free
museums, a bookstore, classes, restaurants, and theaters.
It began in 1977 when a mature and attractive woman, Ann Howell, came to me and said that the lower part of Ft. Mason, buildings and wharfs, were going to be made a public facility, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area, the first military facility in an urban area to become public.
She wanted to apply for the role as operator. She had gathered the names of 110 non-profits, nearly all the hippy groups that came to a Kohotec celebration that had been held in the Civic Auditorium across from City Hall in late 1973.The Fort was going to be given to a non-profit. So I told Ann to form a non-profit 501:c3 organization and suggested some prominent names of my friends for the board. Ann did everything I told her to and to my complete astonishment she won the property.
The reason a sweet innocent inexperienced woman won the management of Ft. Mason was probably that the man who had to decide, Bill, was beleaguered by the most powerful organizations, the University of California, the U.S. Congress, the U.C. Med School, giant hospitals and City Departments. He was under extraordinary pressure. Probably hated it. So, out of pique and revenge he gave the Fort to Ann and her hippy gang.Ann and her boyfriend moved into one of the three giant empty office buildings and started renting the other spaces to 60 non-profits that she could find on her Kohoutek list. Everyone wanted a 50 cent per square foot rent.
When it had been nearly filled up, with an eclectic collection, she asked for more advice. I said then that she needed a center for the entire community to converge on to create a durable and stable community. A restaurant with a coffee shop, in the mornings, and a copy shop.
She didn’t know how to get a non-profit restaurant. So I said I’d do it.
I chose a location: the old Army vehicle repair shop. I went to two dear friends. Dick Baker, the Abbott of the San Francisco Zen Center who ran several non-profit businesses, the most successful being Tassajara Resort. I showed him the site and he was excited to run a vegetarian restaurant in a beautiful location with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I then went to Rudy Hurwich, another good friend, president of the non-profit Fort Mason board. He supported the idea.
Three problems that had to be solved. First the concrete floor was covered in oil that could never be cleaned. Problem solved by California State architect and friend Sim Van der Ryn, who made a new floor 4 feet up which also gave a view out the windows to every table. Second, a fine diner needs wine. The Zen Center voted to make a beer and wine license an exemption to Buddhist tradition, worthwhile.
Third, a great chef was needed. Abbott Baker got a great Zen cook, Debbie Madison, to spend a year studying with pre-eminent chef Alice Waters. The first chef, Debbie, published many cook and food books over the coming years. The two successor chefs have been equally great. The current one, Katie Reicher, continues the tradition as a genius.
Finally, I introduced a marketing idea I had first developed 15 years earlier: to create a grand opening and a loyal customer base. Everyone within range of S.F. Zen Center and friends of friends were invited to a two month crowded opening. That came to nearly 10,000 people. Many were given complimentary wine and meals. Greens was full from then to now.
Abbott Baker was responsible for the aesthetics of Greens. I later contributed the welcoming values to other restaurants and food events, knowing that more food related business was good for Greens. Business is not competition, it is synthesis.
Two of my ideas were not adopted by Greens. One was to give people who wanted ‘left over’ containers, one out of five people, a high quality freezer box with the name Greens on it. Greens already had enough business. The second was to designate a small room, the Steve Jobs room, where Steve ate regularly and had his wedding night meal. No one else liked the idea.
How did I create this historically important exemplar?
The most important was my vast network of friends and associates.
My personal reputation as someone who is good at business as a: former banker, creator of MasterCard, open to new ideas and a receptive non-judgmental listener.
Someone who doesn’t seek personal credit for my many accomplishments.
Retainer of vast collections of trivial information. I stayed awake when I was in the Army and we listened to lectures and saw movies during my reserve duty special trips to Fort Mason from 1962 to 1967.
Finally, I pay close attention to how society works.