Chinatown Bar Red's Place to Close by December

The historic San Francisco establishment faces a half-million-dollar bill for mandated building upgrades.

Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Isometric editorial illustration of a weathered brick building facade with a central ornate doorway, representing urban commercial property pressures. — Red's Place, a historic bar in San Francisco's Chinatown, will permanently close in December due to unaffordable mandatory structural building upgrades. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should the city provide financial support to help historic local small businesses meet building code requirements?

Jerry Chan plans to permanently close Red's Place, a historic bar in San Francisco's Chinatown, by December. The closure follows a mandate for extensive building upgrades that the owner cannot afford.

Why it matters

The closure highlights the mounting financial pressures small business owners face when reconciling building code mandates with rising commercial property requirements. For local residents, the loss marks the end of a long-standing neighborhood institution.

Required building, electrical, and plumbing upgrades total $500,000. These mandates include ADA compliance measures such as widening the entrance and constructing new bathrooms.

The players

Jerry Chan

The current proprietor of Red's Place who has managed the bar since 2010.

The details

The property owner and commercial insurers issued requirements for significant structural work, which would also reduce the establishment's interior capacity. Jerry Chan, who has operated the site since 2010, determined the costs were not financially feasible.

Red's Place was advertised in the San Francisco Call Bulletin in 1938.
The establishment began operating as a bar during the 1960s.
Herman and Lisa Chan took over the business in 1990.
Jerry Chan assumed ownership of the bar in 2010.
The bar is scheduled to permanently close in December 2026.

Market Landscape

This closure follows the long-established pattern of small businesses struggling to meet modern regulatory standards within aging urban infrastructure. The high cost of compliance often forces historic neighborhood venues to yield to new development or permanent closure.

Patrons and neighborhood residents should expect the bar to remain in operation through the end of the year. The closure will result in the loss of a historic venue in the Chinatown district.

The takeaway

Small business owners operating in historic buildings often face significant financial hurdles when state or insurance requirements mandate modern structural updates. Prioritizing capital reserves for potential regulatory compliance can be a critical strategy for the longevity of older establishments.